SPECIAL REPORT SEPTEMBER 11, 2001: DEADLY ATTACK BEGINS A NEW KIND OF WAR

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1 SPECIAL REPORT The War on Terrorism SEPTEMBER 11, 2001: DEADLY ATTACK BEGINS A NEW KIND OF WAR On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, a horrendous plot began to unfold when nineteen terrorists, most of them from Saudi Arabia, hijacked four American airliners. At :4 A.M., American Airlines Flight 11 hit the World Trade Center s north tower in New York City. Fifteen minutes later, United Airlines Flight 17 hit the south tower. Those who died on the airplanes were the first victims. Fire and falling wreckage from the twin towers of the World Trade Center killed hundreds more, while hundreds of rescuers firefighters, police officers, and volunteers themselves became victims. Soon afterward, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth airplane, United Airlines Flight 93, probably headed for Washington, D.C., crashed in western Pennsylvania when some passengers tried to overpower the hijackers. Many accounts of heroic acts have come to light since that fateful September 11. Many of the heroes were among the 343 firefighters and 0 police officers who Pillars of Light From March 11 to April 12, 2002, beams illuminated the night sky to commemorate the victims of the September 11, 2001, attack. 92 SPECIAL REPORT: THE WAR ON TERRORISM ORJAN ELLINGVAG/CORBIS SYGMA worked to save the lives of others at the cost of losing their own. Then there were the employees at the World Trade Center who tried to help the people trapped by jammed doors, broken wallboard, and twisted metal. From accounts, phone calls, voice messages, and s, the New York Times compiled a disturbing report of some of the people who never made it out of the building. Taken together, the information provided almost a minuteby-minute account of those most at risk: the people in the towers who were at or above the planes impact. It is estimated that 1,344 people who were above the 91st floor of the north tower died; some 00 civilians who were at or above the plane s impact in the south tower died. Two of them were Alayne Gentul and Edgar Emery, colleagues at an investment company. When the first plane hit across the plaza, the fireball billowed across the western façade of the 90th floor, where Mr. Emery was in his office. Mr. Emery, known for steadiness, emerged, the

2 lapels on his blue blazer flapping as he waved people out. Come on, let s go, he said, escorting five employees into a stairwell, including Ms. Foodim, who recounted the events. They walked down 12 floors, reaching the 7th floor and the express elevator, with Mr. Emery giving encouragement. If you can finish chemo, then you can get down those steps, Mr. Emery told an exhausted Ms. Foodim, who had just completed a round of chemotherapy. Then they finally reached a packed elevator on the 7th floor, Mr. Emery made sure everyone got aboard. He squeezed Ms. Foodim s shoulder and let the door close in front of him. Then he headed back up, joining Alayne Gentul. Like Mr. Emery, Mrs. Gentul herded a group out before the second plane hit. A receptionist, Mona Dunn, saw her on the 90th floor where workers were debating when or if to leave. Mrs. Gentul instantly settled the question. Go down and go down orderly, she said, indicating a stairway. It was like the teacher saying, It s OK, go, Mrs. Dunn recalled. Together Mrs. Gentul and Mr. Emery went to evacuate six people on the 97th floor, Mrs. Gentul told her husband. Mr. Emery was hunting for a stairwell on the 97th floor when he reached his wife, Elizabeth, by cellphone. The last thing Mrs. Emery heard.... was Alayne Gentul screaming from somewhere very near Ed Emery, Where s the stairs? Where s the stairs? Excerpt, 2 Minutes: Fighting to Live as the Towers Died, New York Times Hundreds of miles away high above Pennsylvania, there were other heroes. Todd Beamer was among the passengers who decided to resist the hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93. Beamer spoke to a phone operator, reporting on the hijacking and on their plans to take over the plane. After talking with the operator, Beamer dropped the phone, but she heard him say, Let s roll. The plane crashed in Shanksville. The passengers actions prevented the hijackers from taking the plane to their destination, possibly the White House. All 2 passengers and crew members on the 4 planes were killed. Another 12 people died in the Pentagon. In New York City, many hundreds died or could not be located in the massive piles of rubble. On the one-year anniversary of this tragic event, almost 2,00 people had been verified as killed at the World Trade Center. ROUTES OF TERROR Michigan Ohio CANADA Lake Erie Pennsylvania New York United Airlines Flight 93 Newark Airport 4 New York City American Airlines Flight 11 Connecticut Logan Airport Mass. United Airlines Flight 17 R.I. 2 1 ATLANTIC 1 2 West Virginia :00 a.m. American Airlines Flight 11, leaves Boston for Los Angeles with 92 passengers and crew. :14 a.m. United Airlines Flight 17 leaves Boston s Logan Airport for Los Angeles with passengers and 9 crew members on board. 9 American Airlines Flight Virginia Maryland :21 a.m. In Washington, D.C., American Airlines Flight 77 departs for Los Angeles; 4 passengers and crew members are on board. 3 7 Washington, D.C. :42 a.m. In Newark, New Jersey, United Airlines Flight 93 departs for San Francisco with 4 passengers and crew members on board. 7 Del. New Jersey :47 a.m. American Airlines Flight 11 slams into north tower of the World Trade Center. 9:02 a.m. United Airlines Flight 17 crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center. 9:41 a.m. The Pentagon is hit by American Airlines Flight 77. World Trade Center Hudson River 9 East River 9:0 a.m.. The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses. :00 a.m. In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, United Airlines Flight 93 crashes. :2 a.m. The north tower of the World Trade Center collapses. SPECIAL REPORT: THE WAR ON TERRORISM 929

3 Middle East Terrorism and the United States The Roots of Terrorism The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were acts of terrorism. Terrorism occurs when non-governmental groups use violence against civilians to frighten governments into changing their policies. There have been many incidents of terrorism in American history. Most terrorist attacks since World War II, however, have been carried out by Middle Eastern groups. The reason these groups have targeted Americans can be traced to events of the early twentieth century. Oil became important to the American economy in the 1920s, and the United States invested heavily in the Middle East oil industry. This industry brought great wealth to the ruling families in some Middle Eastern kingdoms, but most of the people remained poor. Some became angry at the United States for supporting the wealthy kingdoms and families. The growth of the oil industry increased the Middle East s contact with Western society. As Western ideas spread through the region, many devout Muslims followers of the dominant religion feared that their traditional values and beliefs were being undermined. In recent decades, new movements calling for a conservative interpretation of Muslim laws arose in the Middle East. These movements sought to overthrow pro-western governments in the Middle East and hoped to establish their idea of pure Islamic societies. Muslims in such movements are referred to as fundamentalist militants. The vast majority of Muslims believe terrorism is contrary to their faith, but militants began using terror to achieve their goals. American support of Israel also angered many in the Middle East. In 1947, the United Nations divided Britishcontrolled Palestine into two territories to provide a home for Jews. One part became Israel. The other was supposed to become a Palestinian state, but fighting between Israel and the Arab states in 194 left this territory under the control of Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. Palestinians wanted their own nation. In the 190s, they began staging guerrilla raids and terrorist attacks against Israel. Since the United States gave military and economic aid to Israel, it too became the target of Muslim hostility. In the 1970s, several Middle Eastern nations began providing terrorist groups with money, weapons, THE IMPACT OF TERRORISM ON AMERICANS, PACIFIC NORTH AMERICA 1979 Fifty-two Americans held hostage in Iran for more than a year 193 Bombing of U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, kills TWA Flight 47 hijacked; hostages held for 17 days in Beirut, Lebanon 19 Bombing at West Berlin dance club; kills 3, injures 19 Bomb on Pan Am Flight 3 kills 270 in Lockerbie, Scotland 1993 Bomb at World Trade Center kills 7 11 SOUTH AMERICA ATLANTIC EUROPE AFRICA Truck bomb destroys a federal building in Oklahoma City; kills 1, injures more than Bomb at U.S. complex in Dharan, Saudi Arabia, kills 19 American soldiers 199 Bombing at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania kills more than Bomb kills 17 American sailors and injures 39 aboard USS Cole ANTARCTICA 2001 Hijacked airliners crash into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, killing thousands 2002 Ongoing conflict with terrorists in Afghanistan results in the deaths of 41 U.S. service members ASIA INDIAN AUSTRALIA N 0 PACIFIC 1,00 0 1,00 3,000 km Robinson projection 3,000 mi. 930 SPECIAL REPORT: THE WAR ON TERRORISM

4 STEVE LISS/TIMEPIX ETHAN MILLER/REUTERS/CORBIS After the Attack Americans gathered at parks, churches, and fire stations across the nation to express not only their grief but their patriotism. If you did not know, what in the photo would tell you that it was of a memorial service? and training as a way of fighting Israel and the United States. When a government secretly supports terrorism, it is called state-sponsored terrorism. A New Terrorist Threat In 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The United States supported the Afghan struggle against the Soviets. Muslims from the Middle East also helped the Afghans. Among them was a 22-year-old Muslim named Osama bin Laden who came from one of Saudi Arabia s wealthiest families. In 19 he founded al-qaeda (al KY duh), or the Base. Al-Qaeda recruited Muslims and sent money and arms to Afghanistan. When the Afghan fighters defeated the Soviet Union, bin Laden became convinced that superpowers could be beaten. He believed Western ideas had contaminated Muslim societies. He dedicated himself to driving Westerners out of countries with a largely Muslim population. When a Muslim fundamentalist group, the Taliban, took control of Afghanistan in 199, bin Laden began using Afghanistan to train al-qaeda recruits. In 199, bin Laden s followers set off bombs at the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. In October 2000 al-qaeda terrorists crashed a boat loaded with explosives into the American warship USS Cole, while it was docked near the Middle Eastern country of Yemen. America Comes Together From Shock to a New Unity The close Presidential election of 2000 and interest in the new Bush administration overshadowed bin Laden s terrorism. Then, on September 11, 2001, terrorists struck again, executing one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in history. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon shocked Americans, but they responded rapidly to the crisis. Firefighters and medical workers from other cities headed to New York City to help. Across the nation, Americans lined up to donate blood. Others raised money and collected food, blankets, and other supplies for victims and rescue workers. Within weeks, Americans donated over one billion dollars. Suddenly American flags were everywhere on desks at work, in yards and on front doors, draped across fences and bridges. If the terrorists goal had been to divide Americans, they had failed. The American government also responded quickly. All civilian airliners were grounded. The armed forces were put on high alert and fighter aircraft patrolled the skies over major cities. National Guard troops were de- SPECIAL REPORT: THE WAR ON TERRORISM 931

5 ployed to airports to strengthen security, and the FBI began a massive investigation. Intelligence sources and FBI investigators identified the attacks as the work of Osama bin Laden and the al-qaeda network. On September 14, President Bush declared a national emergency, and Congress authorized the use of force to fight the terrorists. Congress then passed a $40 billion emergency aid package for rescue and repair work and increased security. While Secretary of State Colin Powell worked to build an international coalition against terrorism, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld deployed troops, aircraft, and warships to the Middle East. The President then issued an ultimatum to the Taliban government in Afghanistan, demanding they turn over bin Laden and his supporters. In a televised address to a joint session of Congress on September 20, the President told Americans that fighting terrorism would be a lengthy campaign. The President also warned other nations of his resolve to fight terrorism wherever it was based. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime, the President said. The War Against Terrorism Strategies at Home and Abroad In a letter to the New York Times, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld echoed President Bush when he said, This will be a war like none other our nation has faced. He added, The enemy is a global network of terrorist organizations and their state sponsors committed to denying free people the opportunity to live as they choose. Military force would be necessary, but other means would be used as well. Fighting the Terrorist Network The American government worked with other nations to restrict terrorism. One method was to cut off their funding. On September 24, President Bush froze the financial assets of suspected terrorist organizations and individuals. Within weeks, some 0 nations had cooperated by taking the same action. The American government worked to increase international cooperation in other areas, too, such as new requirements for international travel, stronger border se- Terrorism had a dramatic effect on the American economy. Air travel was down and airport security, now under federal control, was increased. The stock market plunged after September 11, and has been shaky since Jan Feb Mar April May Jun July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Month Source: Air Transport Association Billions of Dollars AIRLINE TRAFFIC: Revenue From Passenger Miles 932 SPECIAL REPORT: THE WAR ON TERRORISM

6 curity between the United States and Mexico and Canada, and new screening methods for high-risk containers shipped across boundaries. Fighting Terrorism at Home Part of the anti-terrorism campaign was a new Office of Homeland Security. In the months following the attacks, many of the agency s policies were directed at airline safety and better screening of passengers. Then in June 2002, President Bush asked for the authority to expand the functions and efficiency of Homeland Security into a Cabinet-level department by merging all or parts of 22 federal agencies. Among agencies to be merged were the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Border Patrol, and FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. About 170,000 federal employees would be affected and the proposal included restrictions on civil service and union rules. Democrats opposed such restrictions, but after the Republican victory in the midterm elections of November 2002, Congress quickly passed the bill to make Homeland Security a Cabinet-level department. Americans also debated how far constitutional rights should be restricted to protect against attacks. The issue came up first when anti-terrorism legislation was S&P 00 Index The A Stock Look at Market, History 1,00 1, Year Source: Standard & Poor's Iraq invades Kuwait August 2, 1990 U.S. launches air war against Iraq January 17, 1991 KIM KULISH/CORBIS SYGMA WTC/Pentagon terrorist attacks September 11, passed in October This law allowed secret searches and made it easier to wiretap suspects, track Internet communications, or seize voice mail. Bioterrorism Strikes the United States Soon after September 11, the nation had to cope with another kind of terror. On October, 2001, a newspaper editor in Florida died from an infection from anthrax, a type of bacteria. Two postal workers in Washington, D.C., who handled contaminated letters died. FBI officials investigated but were unable to find the perpetrators or link the attacks to al-qaeda. In 2002, the government focused its concern about bioterrorism on smallpox. The smallpox virus can spread rapidly and kills about one-third of its victims. A worldwide campaign eradicated the disease by 190, but after September 11, leaders feared that some nations had secret stocks of smallpox to use as a biological weapon. In September 2002, federal health officials told states they should have a plan ready for how to vaccinate every single resident. War in Afghanistan On October 7, 2001, the United States launched the first military operation in the war against terrorism. Warplanes began bombing targets in Afghanistan. In a televised address to the nation, President Bush said he had ordered the attack on al-qaeda camps and the Taliban s military, not on Islam or the Afghan people. Food, medicine, and other supplies were dropped to aid the people of Afghanistan. American special forces, as well as troops from allied nations, worked with an Afghan coalition, the Northern Alliance. It had been fighting the Taliban government for several years. After the American bombings, the Northern Alliance launched its own massive attack and by early December, the Taliban government collapsed. The United States and its allies then worked with Afghan leaders to create a new government. Nations around the world pledged more than $4 billion for the effort. American and allied troops arrived to act as peacekeepers and to hunt for al-qaeda terrorists who had fled to the rugged highlands of Afghanistan. Many Afghans rejoiced at the Taliban defeat. Men no longer had to wear beards, and many urban women celebrated by removing their burkas the head-to-toe garment the Taliban had required them to wear. Afghan leaders selected Hamid Karzai to serve as the country s new president, but he faced many challenges. Poverty still stalked the land, and after decades of civil war, reaching political agreement was very difficult. SPECIAL REPORT: THE WAR ON TERRORISM 933

7 TURKEY M editerranean Sea LEBANON Black Sea Hezbollah terrorists are dedicated to setting up an Islamic republic in Lebanon. ISRAEL Cairo SYRIA JORDAN MIDDLE EAST AND CENTRAL ASIA IRAQ Baghdad C a s p ian S e a Strong evidence shows Iraq is building weapons of mass destruction. Tehran UZBEKISTAN TURKMENISTAN IRAN Ashgabat AFGHANISTAN Al-Qaeda trained terrorists prepared in camps for the September 11, 2001, TAJIKISTAN attacks on the United States. Kabul PAKISTAN Islamabad Some al-qaeda leaders were suspected of hiding in northern Pakistan. INDIA Members of Hamas have conducted numerous suicide bombings against Israel. EGYPT SUDAN R e d Se a Riyadh SAUDI ARABIA Persian Gulf UNITED ARAB EMIRATES OMAN INDIAN Terrorism has occurred in many parts of the world, but it is most widespread in the Middle East and Central Asia. In what country was Osama bin Laden born? In what country did he help guerrilla fighters defeat the Soviet Union? Threat of War with Iraq Hussein Seen as Danger to World Peace After the attack on the World Trade Center, President Bush had warned that the war against terrorism would seek out not only members of terrorist groups, but nations that aided and abetted terrorist activity: If any government sponsors the outlaws and killers of innocents, they have become outlaws and murderers, themselves. In early 2002, the President began to warn specifically about the policies of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. In his State of the Union Address in January, he referred to Iraq as part of an axis of evil that included Iran and North Korea. Iraq was not only supporting and funding terrorists, Bush said, but also developing nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. If action was not taken soon, Iraq would be able to use them against the United States or other nations in the Middle East, such as Israel. Bush also made an important statement on the nation s policy toward Iraq when he spoke at the United States Military Academy in June He told graduates that the containment policy used against the former Soviet Union was not effective against terrorism. Instead, Bush said the United States might have to carry out preemptive attacks: If we wait for threats to fully materialize, we will have waited too long. Initially, the response to Bush s message in the United States was mixed. Critics asked whether the evidence was conclusive on Iraq s advances in building nuclear weapons. Many Americans worried about another issue: Could action in Iraq be successful without a long-term American commitment to rebuild Iraq? Perhaps the most common concern was a feeling that the United States should not go it alone, but should obtain world and United Nations support. European nations echoed this concern. Some European leaders opposed Bush s Iraqi policy. Even British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a close ally, urged President Bush to obtain a tougher United Nations resolution on Iraq before taking action. War Grows Closer In September, Bush took several steps that seemed to bring war closer. First, he addressed the United Nations to make a formal case against Iraq. He cited the fact that Iraq had ignored UN resolutions for a decade and had repeatedly failed to cooperate with UN weapons inspectors. The UN-selected inspectors were withdrawn in 199 when Iraq failed to give them free access to facilities to inspect for banned weapons. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had also ignored UN resolutions con- 934 SPECIAL REPORT: THE WAR ON TERRORISM

8 demning human rights abuses committed against his opponents and against the Kurdish people, a minority group in northern Iraq. While asking for UN support, Bush made it clear that the United States would act on its own if necessary. By heritage and by choice, the United States of America will make that stand. And delegates to the United Nations, you have the power to make that stand, as well. George W. Bush One week later, Bush sent Congress a resolution asking for unlimited power to take action against terrorism. Senate Democrats argued that the resolution gave the President too much power and wanted it reworded to cover only action against Iraq. Some Democrats also wanted the resolution to reflect support for a stronger UN stance on weapons inspection in Iraq. The Link to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict American policy in Iraq was often debated in light of the Middle-East tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. Terrorism had existed there for decades. At the end of the 1990s, Palestinian terrorists were using violence more often. Believing this would achieve an independent Palestine, terrorists concealed bombs under their clothing and detonated them in Israeli nightclubs, cafés, and buses, killing dozens. Israel retaliated with military campaigns that led to the deaths of many women and children in the Palestine area. In spring 2002, the Israelis responded to attacks by terrorist groups by leading a large-scale military operation into Jenin and other Palestinian cities. A United Nations report estimated that between September 2000 and May 7, 2002, 441 Israelis and 1,39 Palestinians had been killed. President Bush supported Israel s right to defend itself, but said he did not think military operations would lead to peace. In June 2002, he expressed his belief that eventually there should be an independent Palestine. Bush demanded, however, that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat needed to take determined action against terrorism. Problems between Israelis and Palestinians made the prospect of war with Iraq even more unsettling. Arab states in the region worried that an Iraqi conflict would increase the area s instability. Even though they might dislike Saddam Hussein, some Arab leaders did not want to support the Untied States either. In some cases, they feared opposition from the fundamentalist Muslims in their own countries. In Jordan, a Muslim nation friendly to the United States, King Abdallah II said that settling the Palestine- Israeli conflict was essential: If for the United States [leaders], terror and extremism is the number one priority,... [they] need to move the Arab-Palestinian-Israeli issue forward if we re going to have a decent chance of eradicating extremism and terror around the world. King Abdallah II Resolutions on Iraq Tensions grew over Iraq s response to a new UN mission for weapons inspection. When Hussein said inspectors could not visit his vast palace complexes, President Bush told Americans that Hussein was playing a game of cat and mouse. With public opinion showing percent of Americans supporting his policies, Bush pressed Congress for a resolution on Iraq. In mid-october, Congress passed a resolution with overwhelming majorities in both the House and Senate. It restricted action to Iraq and called for the President to work for the necessary resolutions in the United Nations Security Council. Further negotiations at the UN brought results in November The UN sent new weapons inspectors to Iraq and warned that Iraq must cooperate with them or face serious consequences. Section Assessment Main Idea 1. Use a diagram similar to this one to describe factors influencing al-qaeda terrorists. Vocabulary 2. Define: terrorism, state-sponsored terrorism. Checking Facts 3. What were the main ideas President Bush stressed in his address to Congress in September 2001? 4. What charges did President Bush make against Iraq at the United Nations? Critical Thinking Factors behind al- Qaeda terrorism. Identifying Assumptions Why did some Middle Eastern leaders worry about the possibility of an American war with Iraq? SPECIAL REPORT: THE WAR ON TERRORISM 93