22 years have passed since the September 11 attack: How many people died, what happened?

The 9/11 attack was a world-changing event that is still felt today. The attacks ushered in a new era in the fight against terrorism and raised significant awareness about global security. While the financial damage suffered by the US economy is estimated at more than $120 billion, the material damage caused by the attacks on New York City and its infrastructure exceeds $60 billion.

WHAT HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001?

In attacks claimed by Al Qaeda, a total of 19 hijackers hijacked four passenger planes taking off at around the same time.

The pirates entered the cabin with the knife they had with them and took control of the plane.

The first of these aircraft was American Airlines flight number 11, which operated the Boston-Los Angeles flight. Shortly after takeoff, this plane changed course toward New York and crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in the south of the city.

The second plane was United Airlines Flight 175, which also took off from Boston and headed to Los Angeles. This plane also hit the south tower of the World Trade Center 17 minutes after the first.

After the planes crashed, a fire broke out in the towers and, about two hours later, both towers collapsed, leaving behind 1.8 million tons of debris.

In a statement shortly after the second plane hit the tower, then-US President George W. Bush called the incident a “terrorist attack.”

A few minutes after this statement, American Airlines Flight 77, flying from Washington to Los Angeles, entered the west side of the United States Department of Defense (Pentagon).

The fourth hijacked plane was United Airlines Flight 93, which took off from New Jersey bound for San Francisco. This plane crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania shortly after takeoff.

It was claimed that the passengers of the plane crashed due to a fight that broke out when they were trying to stop the attackers because they were aware of other attacks. However, it was later claimed that the plane was shot down by US Air Force aircraft after other attacks.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, long imprisoned in Guantánamo and on trial in the United States for allegedly plotting the 9/11 attacks, said in their statements that the target of the last plane was the US Congress building.

WHAT WAS THE WORLD’S REACTION?

With the exception of Iraq, almost all countries, including countries with which the United States does not have diplomatic relations, declared their support for the United States after the attacks.

The Iraq statement said: “American cowboys are reaping the fruits of their crimes against humanity.” The Palestinian Authority, Afghanistan and Iran also gave messages of solidarity after the attacks.

For the first time, Article 5 of the NATO Charter came into force, stating that an attack on one member is an attack on all members.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the attacks and declared itself ready to take any military step “in the fight against terrorism.”

WHAT DID THE US DO?

After the attacks, a series of important changes were implemented in US foreign and domestic policy.

First, the country’s airspace was closed for the first time in US history, and approximately 500 flights that were in the air at the time of the attacks were returned to their departure points or redirected to other countries.

The state of emergency declared immediately after the attacks remains in effect.

The Ministry of National Security was created, a law known as PATRIOT was enacted, the steps to be taken in the “fight against terrorism” were detailed, and the powers of the National Security Agency (NSA) were expanded.

A prison was established on Guantanamo Island where people called “illegal enemy combatants” were locked up. Both here and later, it was revealed that the CIA carried out torturous interrogations of people allegedly affiliated with Al Qaeda in different parts of the world.

The 9/11 Investigative Commission, established in Congress after the attacks, concluded that there was a serious intelligence failure. After this, the American intelligence system was restructured.

After the 9/11 attacks, American foreign policy focused on accepting as enemies countries that did not support the fight against Al Qaeda.

In his statement shortly after the attack, President Bush described Iran, Iraq and North Korea as the “axis of evil.”

The United States invaded first Afghanistan and then Iraq as part of its “fighting terrorism” strategy.

While nationalism was on the rise in the United States, according to a report released by the FBI in 2014, although there was a decrease in hate crimes compared to 2001, there was an increase in crimes against Muslims.

In the report published by the PEW think tank in 2017, it was stated that attacks against Muslims increased by 50 percent in the 15 years after the 9/11 attacks.

WHAT ELSE HAS CHANGED?

Among the most important changes is the tightening of security measures at airports and civil aviation. The cabin doors have been redesigned to be more difficult to open.

The civil aviation industry has entered a serious economic crisis. While some major airlines were closing, the United States Congress had to provide $15 billion in financial aid to keep the industry afloat.

Security measures in public buildings and crowded places have increased not only in the US but also in many parts of the world.