Washington: The United States on Saturday commemorated the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the most venal terrorist attack in history, with its head bowed - literally and geopolitically.
As President Biden led the mourning with stops at Ground Zero in New York City, a field in Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, sites where four hijacked airplanes weaponised by terrorists killed 3,000 people, a sense of regret, recrimination, and futility about a war gone wrong was palpable, particularly in the light of Taliban returning to power in Afghanistan.
The US president did not make any remarks at Ground Zero, but in a six-minute videotaped message released before by the White House, he reflected on how the terror attacks shaped America, saying that it brought about a “true sense of national unity” while also exposing the “darker forces of human nature” in the form of fear and discrimination towards Muslims.
“To me, that’s the central message of September 11. It’s that at our most vulnerable, in the push and pull of all that makes us human and the battle for the soul of America, unity is our greatest strength. Unity doesn’t mean that we have to believe the same thing but we must have a fundamental respect and faith in each other and in this nation,” Biden said. “It’s so hard whether it’s the first year or the 20th...These commemorations bring everything painfully back as if you just got the news a few seconds ago.”
Biden was accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden, former President's Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and former first ladies Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. President Bush joined him in Pennsylvania. As is the usual practice, the names of the nearly 3,000 people - including at least 50 Indians or people of Indian-origin - who perished in the attack was read out. The 20th anniversary commemoration came against the backdrop of momentous events in Afghanistan with the return to power of an unrepentant Taliban, which had provided safe haven to al-Qaida who planned and executed the 9/11 attack.
