A Retrospective Look At September 11 Attacks

20 years after the September 11 terror attacks that shook the world in 2001, here is a restrospective look at the September 11 attacks in 2021.

On the 11th of September, 2001, 19 terrorists linked with the extremist group, Al Qaeda, hijacked four different US airplanes. They targeted specific locations in the US and carried out suicide attacks. Two of the hijacked aircraft crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. The third plane flew into the Pentagon in Washington D.C, while the last of the hijacked planes crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania because the passengers did not let the terrorists get to their target.

The incident that occurred in the morning of September 11th (9/11),  2001 was a nightmarish one for not just the United States but the whole world. The terror attacks took the US by surprise and was probably the biggest ever recorded. American people watched helplessly as nearly 3000 people in the country died in the terrorist attack that shook the world. Survivors of the incident still shiver in retrospect of that nightmarish day.

The World 20 Years After the september 11 attacks

Fast-forward to 20 years after the September 11 attacks, the governments of the world still battle against the terrorists that plague our world. The US military's mission to Afghanistan which began a few months after 9/11 came to an abrupt end after the US military withdrew their forces.

Following the 9/11 attack 20 years ago by the Al Qaeda extremists, many other terrorist groups seemed to increase their activities. However, the fight against terrorism has also increased ever since.

Global efforts to end terrorism after the September 11 attacks

The U.N and governments of the world have intensified their efforts in bringing an end to the incessant insurgencies plaguing the world. The advancement in technology has also played a major role in fighting back terrorism. Unlike in the year 2001, when social media was not widely utilized, and information was passed much slowly. Today, with the help of social media and other media outlets, information is passed across with lightning speed.

Furthermore, terrorism which can be linked to radical Islamist movement reached a peak in 2014. However, the number of deaths and acts of terrorism around the globe began to decrease since then. The Global Terrorism Index that measures acts of terrorism globally shows that there has been a 52% decrease in terrorist incidents from 2014 to 2019. Although this may be true on a global scale, Africa still suffers the majority of the terror attacks, and casualties have been on the rise.

Terror attacks in Africa

Jihadi groups seem to be thriving in many African nations. Countries like Somalia, and many West African countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria have been plagued with continuous insurgencies despite efforts to end terrorism.

But it isn't all bad news. With the recent takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, many countries have been coming up with new strategies to fight terrorism. World leaders can learn a lesson or two from this, and everyone would know that security is not to be trifled with. 20 years after the September 11 attacks, the world has received a bitter  reminder about the importance of security. Hopefully, world governments would learn from the recent terror attack in Afghanistan and apply it in the fight against acts of terrorism plaguing the globe.