Sunday’s ceremony came a little more than a year after Biden ended the long and costly war in Afghanistan launched by the US and allies in response to terrorist attacks. Biden noted that even after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, his administration continued to pursue those responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Last month, Biden announced that the US had killed Ayman al-Zawahri, the al Qaeda leader who helped plan the 9/11 attacks, in a secret operation. “We will never forget, we will never give up,” Biden said. “Our commitment to preventing another attack on the United States is unending.” Biden praised first responders during the memorial service in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press) The US president was joined by family members of the fallen, first responders who were at the Pentagon on the day of the attack, and Defense Department leadership for the annual moment of tribute held in New York, the Pentagon and Somerset County , Pa. “We owe you an incredible, incredible debt,” Biden said. In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid tribute to the nearly 3,000 victims of the attacks, including 24 Canadians, and praised first responders. On the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we remember the nearly 3,000 victims. We express our condolences to their families. And thank you to those who stepped up that day – and in the days to come – to keep others safe. https://t.co/1ZkpT96W54 —@JustinTrudeau “Twenty-one years ago today, the world witnessed the deadliest terrorist attacks in the history of the United States of America, our closest neighbor and ally,” Trudeau said in a statement. “We offer our condolences to the families and friends who have lost loved ones. Our thoughts are also with all those who continue to live with the pain and trauma caused by these horrific events.” In Gander, NL, US Ambassador to Canada David Cohen thanked residents for their kindness in welcoming thousands of air travelers stranded by the 9/11 attacks. “On behalf of the president of the United States, on behalf of the American people, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your kindness, for humanity, and for giving us hope and optimism that good will always triumph over evil. Cohen said on Sunday.
The outrage in Afghanistan continues
By ending the war in Afghanistan, the Democratic president followed through on a campaign promise to bring US troops back from the country’s largest conflict. But the war ended in chaos in August 2021, when the US-backed Afghan government collapsed, a horrific bombing killed 170 Afghans and 13 US soldiers at Kabul airport and thousands of desperate Afghans gathered in the hope of escaping before the last cargo planes departed. of the USA. the Hindu Kush. First responders stand in a pouring rain as the American flag is unfurled at the Pentagon in Washington on Sunday, as the sun rises on the morning of the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. (Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press) Biden marked the one-year anniversary of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan late last month in a low-key tone. He issued a statement honoring the 13 American soldiers killed in the Kabul airport bombing and spoke by phone with American veterans who are helping ongoing efforts to resettle Afghans who have helped the war effort in the United States. Biden said on Sunday that an “incredible debt” was owed to US troops who served in Afghanistan and their families. More than 2,200 members of the US military have been killed and more than 20,000 wounded during the nearly 20-year war, according to the Pentagon. He also vowed that the nation “will never fail to meet your sacred obligation to you to prepare and properly equip those we harm and to care for them and their families when they return home — and never, ever forget. “ Flowers are seen on one of the benches at the Pentagon’s National September 11 Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Sunday. (Susan Walsh/The Associated Press) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday criticized Biden’s handling of the war’s end and noted that the country has slipped under renewed Taliban rule since the US withdrawal. “Now, a year after the debacle of last August, the devastating scale of the fallout from President Biden’s decision has come into sharper focus,” the Kentucky Republican said. “Afghanistan has become a global pariah. Its economy has shrunk by nearly a third. Half its population now suffers critical levels of food insecurity.” First responders stand in the rain after an American flag was raised at the Pentagon in Washington on Sunday. (Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press) The president also recalled the words of comfort Queen Elizabeth, who died Thursday, sent to the American people in the immediate aftermath of the 2001 attacks: “Sadness is the price we pay for love.” Biden said those words remain as poignant as they were 21 years ago, but the weight of loss also remains heavy. “On this day, when the honor is so great, Jill and I hold you all close to our hearts,” Biden said.
Biden criticizes ‘extreme ideology’
Biden has recently issued warnings about what he calls the “extreme ideology” of former President Donald Trump and his “Republican MAGA” followers as a threat to US democracy. Without naming Trump, Biden again appealed to Americans to preserve democracy. “It’s not enough to stand up for democracy once a year or every once in a while,” Biden said. “It is something we must do every day. So this is a day not only to remember, but also a day of renewal and determination for every American in our commitment to this country, to the principles it embodies, to our democracy.” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker listens as the names of the Massachusetts victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks are read Sunday in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/The Associated Press) First Lady Jill Biden spoke to a crowd at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., where she recalled her concern for her sister Bonnie Jacobs, a United Airlines flight attendant. He said the attacks showed that “with courage and kindness we can be a light in this darkness.” “It showed us that we are all connected to each other,” said Biden, who was joined by her sister in Pennsylvania for Sunday’s celebration. “So as we stand on this hallowed and scarred ground, a record of our collective grief and a monument to the memories that live each day, this is the legacy we carry far forward: Hope that defies hate.” US Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband attended a memorial service at the National September 11 Memorial in New York.
