By Deepjoy Das | 13–16 minutes
Washington DC [US], September 11 (ANI): The morning of September 11, 2001, began like any other in New York City. Office workers hurried through crowded streets, tourists paused to admire the skyline, and vendors opened their stalls as sunlight glinted off the glass towers. The rhythm of daily life seemed unshaken—until the sudden roar of jet engines broke the calm. A plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, turning an ordinary day into the opening chapter of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.
Moments later, another plane struck the South Tower as onlookers stared in horror. Both towers collapsed within hours, reducing New York’s iconic skyline to rubble. Meanwhile, a third plane tore into the Pentagon, headquarters of the US Department of Defense, and a fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.
In total, four airliners were hijacked by 19 men on a suicide mission to scar American history. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, thousands more injured, and the United States was thrust into a new era of war and security.
But as America mourned, the inevitable question arose: Why did this happen?
The attacks of 9/11 did not erupt from nowhere. They were the culmination of a decade-long confrontation between Osama bin Laden, leader of the terrorist group al-Qaeda, and the United States.
The Premise
Osama bin Laden’s reasons were not hidden. He declared them in statements, fatwas, and interviews, later confirmed by investigators and officials.
His path to 9/11 began during the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. According to FBI records, he was one of many wealthy Saudis who provided financial and logistical support to Islamic fighters resisting the Soviets. Out of this campaign, al-Qaeda was formed in 1988 “to continue the cause of jihad (holy war) through violence and aggression.”
His central grievance emerged in the 1990s, when American troops were stationed in Saudi Arabia after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. To bin Laden, this was an intolerable “occupation” of Islam’s holiest land. In his 1996 epistle, he declared that one of the most important duties of Muslims was “pushing the Americans out of the holy land.”
The Edict That Declared War on America
In February 1998, bin Laden issued a public declaration of war. His edict, published in Al-Quds al-Arabi and titled “Declaration of the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against the Jews and the Crusaders,” made clear why he considered the US an enemy.
The fatwa stated:
“To kill Americans and their allies, both civilian and military, is an individual duty of every Muslim who is able, in any country where this is possible, until the Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem] and the Haram Mosque [in Mecca] are freed from their grip and until their armies depart from all the lands of Islam.”
He cited three reasons:
- US troops in Saudi Arabia (the “land of the two holy mosques”).
- Sanctions on Iraq, which he claimed killed over a million people.
- US support for Israel, including its occupation of Jerusalem.
“Eighty Years of Humiliation”
Bin Laden framed his campaign not only in terms of current policies but also historical grievances. Dennis Ross, a former US envoy, testified before the 9/11 Commission in 2003 that bin Laden’s rhetoric invoked “eighty years of humiliation”—a reference to Western colonialism and broken promises after World War I.
Ross emphasized that 9/11 was not simply about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Al-Qaeda had been planning the attacks even as peace efforts appeared close to success in 2000. Instead, bin Laden drew from a broader narrative of betrayal, humiliation, and double standards in US foreign policy.
Clinton-Era Warnings and Missed Chances
By the late 1990s, bin Laden was considered the foremost terrorist threat to the United States.
- In 1993, Ramzi Yousef, trained in one of bin Laden’s camps, led the first failed attempt to bring down the World Trade Center, killing six and injuring over 1,000.
- In 1998, al-Qaeda coordinated bombings of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, killing over 200 and injuring more than 4,500.
National Security Council briefings frequently warned that “UBL [Usama bin Laden] and al-Qaeda represent the most immediate and serious threat to US security.”
The Clinton administration responded with missile strikes on al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and a facility in Sudan, but bin Laden survived.
On one occasion, intelligence placed him at Tarnak Farms near Kandahar, but a strike was called off due to concerns about killing civilians. Clinton later reflected:
“I nearly got him. And I could have killed him, but I would have had to destroy a little town called Kandahar in Afghanistan and kill 300 innocent women and children. And then I would have been no better than him.”
The Strategy Behind 9/11
The September 11 operation was designed to hit symbols of American power:
- Economic power: The World Trade Center.
- Military power: The Pentagon.
- Political power: The likely target of the fourth plane, either the White House or the Capitol.
The attacks were not only intended to cause mass destruction but also to deliver a political, psychological, and cultural shock—provoking a long-term US response in the Muslim world.
Why America Was the Enemy
Bin Laden’s own words remain the clearest explanation. His 1998 fatwa framed killing Americans as a religious duty, justified by:
- The US military presence in Saudi Arabia.
- Sanctions on Iraq that he said devastated Muslim civilians.
- US support for Israel’s policies in Jerusalem and Palestine.
As noted in The World According to Usama Bin Laden (Naval War College Review), bin Laden portrayed US foreign policy as deliberate oppression of Muslims.
Conclusion
The September 11 attacks were not spontaneous. They were the result of years of escalating confrontation. Bin Laden’s grievances—rooted in American troops in Saudi Arabia, sanctions on Iraq, and US support for Israel—were codified in his 1996 epistle and 1998 fatwa.
The Clinton administration recognized the danger but failed to eliminate bin Laden before 2001. By striking America’s economic, military, and political symbols, al-Qaeda sought not only to kill but to provoke a global confrontation.
On May 2, 2011, nearly a decade later, US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in a compound in northern Pakistan. But the legacy of his campaign, and the day he orchestrated, continues to shape global security and foreign policy.
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