http://www.hindustantimes.com/world...anniversary/story-4wd1Kg7lLdCBqEMVRNRWWM.html
The United States would also completely annihilate Islamic State militants in the region, the US ambassador to Afghanistan said.
world Updated: Sep 11, 2017 22:11 IST
Reuters, Kabul
US soldiers prepare to raise the American flag during a memorial ceremony to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday.(REUTERS)
The US ambassador to Afghanistan said on Monday Washington would never allow militants to use the country as a sanctuary, as American and allied troops in Kabul commemorated the September 11 attacks.
US President Donald Trump in August committed nearly 4,000 additional troops to Afghanistan as part of an open-ended campaign against Taliban insurgents who have made advances in recent years.
A US led intervention sparked by the September 11 attacks toppled the Taliban government in 2001. Since then more than 2,400 American troops and more than 1,000 international allies have died in Afghanistan.
“Today we remember how this conflict began but let us also remember how this must end, with Afghanistan never again serving as an ungoverned space, sanctuary or base for those who are bent on attacking us and our allies,” ambassador Hugo Llorens told a crowd of soldiers at the NATO coalition’s headquarters in Kabul.
The United States would also “completely annihilate” Islamic State militants in the region, Llorens said.
The Taliban on Monday claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing that wounded several NATO troops and Afghan civilians in a province north Kabul.
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President Donald Trump, a native New Yorker observing the anniversary for the first time as the nation’s leader, is scheduled to observe a moment of silence at about the time the first plane hit.
world Updated: Sep 11, 2017 10:42 IST
Associated Press, New York
Thousands of 9/11 victims’ relatives, survivors, rescuers and others are expected to gather Monday at the World Trade Center to remember the deadliest terror attack on American soil.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world...ground-zero/story-e3iqXTmOArt3z6wRDm6sUM.html
While the US contends with the destruction caused by two ferocious hurricanes in three weeks, Americans also are marking the anniversary of one of the nation’s most scarring days.
Thousands of 9/11 victims’ relatives, survivors, rescuers and others are expected to gather Monday at the World Trade Center to remember the deadliest terror attack on American soil.
Sixteen years later, the quiet rhythms of commemoration have become customs: a recitation of all the names of the dead, moments of silence and tolling bells, and two powerful light beams that shine through the night.
Yet each ceremony also takes on personal touches. Over the years, some name-readers have added messages ranging from the universal (“the things we think separate us really don’t — we’re all part of this one Earth”) to the personal (“I love you and miss you. Go Packers!”).
“Thank you, New York, for continuing to honor the victims of 9/11 and the privilege of reading their names,” Judy Bram Murphy added last year. She lost her husband, Brian Joseph Murphy.
Nearly 3,000 people died when hijacked planes slammed into the trade center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001, hurling America into a new consciousness of the threat of global terrorism.
President Donald Trump, a native New Yorker observing the anniversary for the first time as the nation’s leader, is scheduled to observe a moment of silence at about the time the first plane hit. The White House said he is to be joined by first lady Melania Trump.
He also planned to participate in a 9/11 observance at the Pentagon. Defense secretary Jim Mattis and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are hosting a private observance for victims’ relatives there at 9.11 am Monday. After the names are read at that ceremony, there’s a public observance, with a wreath-laying and remarks.
Vice President Mike Pence and US Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke are scheduled to deliver remarks at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville. It’s on the rural field where one of the airliners crashed after passengers and crew fought to wrest control away from the terrorists who’d hijacked it and were heading for Washington.
Construction continues at the Shanksville memorial, where ground was broken Sunday for a 93-foot (28 meters) tall Tower of Voices to honour the 33 passengers and seven crew members who died.
The ceremony amid the waterfall pools and lines of trees on the National September 11 Memorial plaza strives to be apolitical: Politicians can attend, but since 2011, they haven’t been allowed to read names or deliver remarks.
Yet last year’s 15th-anniversary ceremony became entangled in the narrative of a fractious presidential campaign when Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton left abruptly, stumbled into a van and ultimately revealed she’d been diagnosed days earlier with pneumonia.
The episode fed into questions that then-Republican-nominee Trump had repeatedly raised about Clinton’s stamina and transparency. She took three days off to recover, and Trump used footage of her stagger in a campaign ad.
Trump has often invoked his memories of 9/11 to highlight his hometown’s resilience and responders’ bravery. Some of his recollections have raised eyebrows, particularly remarks while talking about Muslims that “thousands of people were cheering” in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the towers fell. There is no evidence in news archives of mass celebrations by Muslims there.
Meanwhile, rebuilding and reimagining continues at ground zero. The third of four planned office towers is set to open next year; so is a Greek Orthodox church, next to the trade center site, that was crushed by the South Tower’s collapse. Work toward a $250 million performing arts center continues after a design was unveiled last fall.
Most recently, plans were announced this spring to transform a grassy clearing on the memorial plaza into a walkway and area dedicated to 9/11 rescue and recovery workers, including those who died of illnesses years after being exposed to smoke, dust and ash at ground zero.
http://zeenews.india.com/europe/rex-tillerson-pays-tribute-to-9/11-victims-2041383.html
ANI| Last Updated: Monday, September 11, 2017 - 22:38
Washington: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson paid tribute on Monday to the victims and survivors of 9/11, by honouring the heroes who valiantly saved many lives that day, even sacrificing their own.
Tillerson said, "Today we remember the victims of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, and honour the heroes who valiantly saved many lives that day, even sacrificing their own. Their courage on that day remains an example of the character of the American people in the face of evil. Though our country was wounded that day, today we remind the world that terrorism will never defeat the United States."
"This date also marks a solemn tragedy where four Americans, including two of our State Department colleagues, were killed in a terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. Their loss will always weigh heavy in our hearts," Tillerson added.
Tillerson further said, "Our hearts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones to terrorism. We remain committed to stopping those extremists who plot, enable, and carry out attacks on the innocent."
The president and first lady joined thousands of service members and families of 9/11 victims at the Pentagon, where hundreds of military personnel were killed after a hijacked plane crashed into the western side of the complex on Sept. 11, 2001.
"For the families with us on this anniversary, we know that not a single day goes by when you don't think about the loved ones stolen from your life," Trump said. "Today, our entire nation grieves with you and with every one of those 2,996 innocent souls who was murdered by terrorists 16 years ago."
