Washington: The United States on Sunday pledged
never to forget the enemy which was responsible for the 9/11
terror attacks in the country 10 years ago and said it will
not rest till al Qaeda is completely destroyed.
"We will not stop. You will not stop until al Qaeda is
not only disrupted, but completely dismantled and ultimately
destroyed," Vice President Joe Biden told US soldiers at the
9/11 observance ceremony at the Pentagon.
Biden said over a decade of war, the US military and
intelligence community pioneered new tactics, mastered new
language, developed and employed advanced new technologies.
"They took on responsibilities once reserved only to
those with considerably more seniority; responsibilities that
extended beyond the base or the battlefield, to the politics
of Afghanistan, to the politics of Iraq, to the economies of
those countries and to the development task that ultimately
will lay the groundwork for us to leave behind stable
countries that will not threaten us," he said.
"And along with the intelligence community and the law
enforcement community, they relentlessly took the fight to
al Qaeda and its affiliates. They were prepared to follow bin
Laden to hell`s gate if necessary and they got him," he said.
Biden said the terrorists who attacked the Pentagon
sought to weaken America by shattering this defining symbol of
our military might and prowess. "But they failed."
Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said: "By these memorials
to each victim, we pledge to never forget the enemy that made
this happen, why we fight them, and why we will never stop
fighting them to make sure that what happened here and in New
York City and in the field in Pennsylvania never happens
again."
"As we recall that day of tragedy and trauma, of bravery
and heroism, we remember it as a defining moment for all
Americans. We were challenged by al Qaeda and its vicious
hatred aimed squarely at our values. They tried to weaken us
and instead they made us stronger," Panetta said.
"Out of the darkness of this grief, out of the darkness
of this sorrow, has come the light of inspiration to serve
America, to fight our enemies, to protect the safety and
freedom of the American people, and to make our country
stronger and better for future generations of Americans,"
Panetta said.
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff, said
a whole new generation has been inspired to serve, many of
them in uniform.
"Indeed, from this place of wrath and tears, America`s
military ventured forth as the long arm and clenched fist of
an angry nation at war. And we have remained at war ever
since, visiting upon our enemies the vengeance they were due
and providing for the American people the common defense they
demand," he said.
PTI
