On the morning of September 11, 2001, life in New York City began like any other day. | Image:
Reuters
9/11 Attack Anniversary: On the morning of September 11, 2001, life in New York City began like any other day. People rushed to offices, tourists admired the skyline, and vendors opened their stalls.
Within moments, that normal rhythm collapsed when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Centre towers.
As the North and South Towers burned and later fell, another hijacked plane struck the Pentagon, while a fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
Nineteen terrorists linked to al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial flights in what became the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, thousands were injured, and the United States was thrust into a new era of security, war, and fear.
The attacks shocked the world, but they also raised the question: Why did it happen?
The Origins of Bin Laden’s Conflict with the US
The September 11 attacks were not sudden. They were the outcome of years of conflict between Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, and the United States.
Bin Laden’s involvement in global jihad began in the late 1970s during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He used his wealth and influence to provide financial and logistical support to fighters resisting Soviet forces. Out of this campaign grew al-Qaeda, which he formally established in 1988 to continue jihad through violence and global operations.
After the Soviet withdrawal, bin Laden shifted his focus. His main grievance became the presence of American troops in the Middle East, especially in Saudi Arabia, following the Gulf War in 1990–91. To him, this was an occupation of Islam’s holiest lands and a betrayal by the ruling Saudi family.
The 1996 Epistle and Anger Over US Presence
In 1996, bin Laden issued an epistle that made his anger clear. He wrote that the Saudi rulers had allowed the “corrupt” presence of American troops at a time when the country was weakened by economic distress. He declared that pushing Americans out of the holy land was one of the most important duties of Muslims.
This message became the foundation for his call to arms.
The 1998 Fatwa Declaring War
Bin Laden’s public declaration came in February 1998, when he issued a fatwa under the banner of the “World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and Crusaders.” This declaration explicitly called it the individual duty of every Muslim to kill Americans and their allies, both civilians and military, wherever possible.
The fatwa outlined three main reasons. First, the continued presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia. Second, the suffering caused by sanctions on Iraq, which bin Laden claimed had killed more than a million people. Third, American support for Israel, which he described as part of a larger “Crusader-Jewish alliance.”
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Historical Language of Humiliation
Bin Laden also framed his conflict in terms of history. Former US envoy Dennis Ross testified before the 9/11 Commission in 2003 that bin Laden spoke of “eighty years of humiliation,” a reference to broken promises and colonial interference in the Middle East after World War I. This rhetoric was designed to tap into long-standing resentment against the West.
Ross noted that the 9/11 attacks were not simply about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, though US support for Israel was one of bin Laden’s stated grievances. Instead, it was part of a broader narrative of betrayal and double standards, which bin Laden used to rally support.
Early Warnings and Missed Chances
The United States had been warned about bin Laden’s growing influence throughout the 1990s. Al-Qaeda was already linked to major attacks, including the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Centre that killed six and injured more than a thousand, and the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that left more than 200 dead.
President Bill Clinton’s administration tried to target bin Laden with missile strikes in Afghanistan and Sudan after the 1998 embassy bombings, but the efforts failed to kill him.
Clinton later admitted that one operation was called off because it would have caused large civilian casualties in Kandahar.
Intelligence continued to warn of bin Laden’s network as the greatest terrorist threat to US security, but opportunities to eliminate him slipped away.
Strategy Behind the 9/11 Attacks
The September 11 plot was designed to strike at the very heart of American power.
According to accounts and later analysis, bin Laden wanted to attack symbols of America’s economic, military, and political strength.
The World Trade Centre represented economic might, the Pentagon represented military power, and the intended target of the fourth plane was believed to be either the US Capitol or the White House, both symbols of political leadership.
The attacks were not just about destruction. They were also about provoking the United States into a larger confrontation with the Muslim world, reshaping global politics in the process.
Why America Was the Target
Bin Laden’s own words provide the clearest explanation. His fatwa and interviews identified three main reasons: American troops in Saudi Arabia, sanctions on Iraq, and unwavering US support for Israel.
He argued that US foreign policy oppressed Muslims worldwide. He frequently cited events such as the 1996 Qana massacre in Lebanon and the deaths of Iraqi children under sanctions as evidence of America’s role in Muslim suffering.
His message framed the US as both a military occupier and a hypocritical power that violated its own democratic values.
The Consequences of 9/11
The attacks of September 11 did exactly what bin Laden intended: they shook America politically, economically, and psychologically. They provoked a massive response that included the US-led war in Afghanistan, the global “War on Terror,” and a permanent transformation of American security policies.
The End of Bin Laden
After years of pursuit, Osama bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011, during a US special operations raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, under the orders of President Barack Obama. His death ended the manhunt but not the global debate about his ideology and the grievances he exploited.