Nearly 3,000 people were killed in terror attacks and the US economy sustained a loss of 100 billion USD, triggering major US efforts to combat terrorism which still continue and show no sign of ending.

18 years ago today, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the US. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, DC, and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  

The US government’s investigation identified 19 militants with ties to al Qaeda, headed by Osama bin Laden, who in 2004 admitted responsibility for the attacks. The attacks did lasting damage to Americans' faith that having the strongest military in the world made them invulnerable. 

Since the attacks, the US government has waged a war against terrorism, killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and wiped out Taliban elements backed by Al-Qaeda. But the struggle against Al-Qaeda continues in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and other places across the Middle East and in Africa