On this day 21 years ago, the country changed forever.
Terrorists hijacked passenger planes and flew them into buildings in New York and near Washington, D.C. One of the hijacked planes crashed into an empty field after a group of brave passengers foiled the hijackers’ plans.
Almost 3,000 people were killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001, carried out by the extremist group al-Qaeda. In New York City, over 400 rescue workers rushing to help the burning World Trade Center were lost. Over 83,000 rescue workers have signed up for a program run by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that helps with a range of illnesses, such as cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder, caused by being at the site of the attack.
From the archive: When the September 11 attacks occurred, no one knew if there were hijackers on board
September 11, 2001 paved the way for a new “global war on terror,” launched by then-US President George W. Bush. The US military and its allies wanted to eliminate the al-Qaeda terrorist network hosted by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The costly war ended last year with the withdrawal of US troops and the Taliban’s seizure of power in the country.
American counterterrorism operations have eliminated the masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks. A Navy SEAL operation in 2011 killed notorious al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and a missile strike in July killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, whom the United States considered a co-planner of the 9/11 attacks.
Opinion: The war on terror took my family to a Muslim country. It was the adventure of a lifetime.
Here are some of the most striking images taken during and after the September 11 attacks.
From the archive: “Clear the skies”: Background to the unprecedented call to stop air traffic on September 11
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 9/11 photos from World Trade Center, Pentagon, Shanksville in the USA
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