These striking images reflect the narrative of 9/11 21 years later.
These striking images reflect the narrative of 9/11 21 years later.
The land was irrevocably transformed on this day 21 years ago.
Terrorists hijacked passenger jets and smashed them into skyscrapers in New York and around Washington, D.C. One hijacked jet crashed into an empty field, with a group of heroic passengers foiling the hijackers' plans.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the September 11, 2001 assaults. More than 400 first responders from New York City died while rushing to the help of the blazing World Trade Center. More than 83,000 first responders participated in a CDC program that provides treatment for a variety of ailments, including cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder, as a result of their involvement in the attacks.
Former US President George W. Bush declared a new "global war on terror" on September 11, 2001. In a costly war that concluded last year with the departure of US forces and the Taliban seizing control of Afghanistan, the US military and its allies set out to eliminate the al Qaeda terror network sponsored by the Taliban.
The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Here are some of the most remarkable photographs taken during and after the September 11th attacks.
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
United Airlines Flight 175 collides with the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001, while smoke billows from the north tower: AP Chao Sol Cheong
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
A man covered in ash and debris from the World Trade Center south tower fall coughs near City Hall in downtown Manhattan on September 11, 2001. AP AMY SANCETTA
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
In this Sept. 11, 2001 file picture, two ladies hold hands as they watch the World Trade Center burn after a terrorist assault on the twin towers in New York. MORA, ERNESTO The Associated Press (AP)
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
After a plane crashed into the Pentagon on Tuesday morning, military members fled the scene. Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001 H DARR BEISER GPN
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
Following the terrorist assault on the towers in New York on September 11, 2001, the remnants of the World Trade Center stand amid other debris. Alexandre Fuchs/Associated Press
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
People escape lower Manhattan crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, in the aftermath of the World Trade Center terrorist assault. AP DANIEL SHANKEN
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
On September 12, 2001, investigators explore the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for wreckage and evidence, including the plane's flight recorder. MAXWELL, DAVID AFP/US NAVY via Getty Images
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, people gather around missing person posters on a telephone booth in this September 13, 2001 image. David Karp/AP Photo
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
Following the president's announcement regarding the terrorist assault on the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, President Bush speaks with Chief of Staff Andrew Card onboard Air Force One during a journey to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Neb. Associated Press photographer DOUG MILLS
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
On September 12, 2001, a monitor displays all planes that were canceled from Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina. Throughout the country, planes were grounded. Ken Ruinard/Staff
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
In this September 11, 2001 file photo, the World Trade Center twin buildings burn behind the Empire State Building in New York after terrorists drove two aircraft into them, forcing both to fall. Marty Lederhandler, Associated Press
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
Justin Eckert consoles his wife, Dorinda, at the American Airlines ticket counter at Portland International Airport as she feeds their 3-month-old son, Ethan, on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, in Portland, Ore., after learning that their flight to Missouri had been canceled due to terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon in New York. Associated Press photographer DON RYAN
.jpg "The brains behind the September 11, 2001, attacks were taken out by American counterterrorism efforts. A Navy SEAL raid in 2011 killed Osama bin Laden, and a July missile strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, whom the US deems a co-planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks.")
Seniors at Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama, watch television coverage about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Associated Press photographer JOHN DAVID MERCER
this Sept. 11, 2001 file picture, two ladies hold hands as the watch the World Trade Center burn after a terrorist assault on the twin towers in New Yor. MORA, ERNESTO The Associated Press (
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