9/11 attacks anniversary: How attacks on America's financial capital, which killed nearly 3000 people, changed the world forever

The 9/11 attacks were carried out by nineteen terrorists from al-Qaeda, who hijacked four commercial aeroplanes and crashed them into New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Credits: Reuters

New Delhi: There are only a handful of events that have the ability to change the world forever and also change the course of history, and the September 11 attacks on America's financial capital, which killed nearly 3000 people, was one of them. The world marked the 21st anniversary of 9/11, a day of unspeakable tragedy and spectacular heroism, on Sunday (September 11, 2022). 

21 years have passed since the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93. The attacks were carried out by a total of nineteen Arab terrorists from different countries all of them belonging to the al-Qaeda terror group. 

On this day, the hijackers used commercial planes as missiles and crashed into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field that killed nearly 3,000 people and toppled the trade center’s 110-story twin towers.

What happened on 9/11? 

A total of nineteen Arab terrorists, associated with Al-Qaeda, hijacked four planes. The first two crashes occurred in quick succession. The first and second hijacked plane was deliberately crashed into the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center complex. This caused the twin towers to burn and ultimately fall to the ground. 

According to the reports, there were roughly 16,400 to 18,000 people inside the WTC complex at the time of the attack. While most of the people were safely evacuated from the complex, a total of 2,753 people died in New York that day.

The third hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia state of the US where 184 people were killed. The fourth, Flight 93, crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against three al Qaeda hijackers, preventing the plane from reaching its target.

What happened after the 9/11 attacks?

The attacks not only changed America forever, it also changed the world. Over 3,000 people were killed on September 11, 2001. After the attacks, the United States led a war on terror against al-Qaeda, which finally resulted in killing of the al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden who was found hiding right inside Pakistan where he was protected by Pakistani authorities. 

This war on terror left behind a trail of destruction across the globe and redefining the relations between the Muslim world with the rest of the world.