The United States on Sunday marked the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that left nearly 3,000 dead and launched the United States into the decades-long war in Afghanistan.
A tolling bell and a moment of silence began the commemoration at ground zero in New York, where the World Trade Center’s twin towers were destroyed by the hijacked-plane attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Victims’ relatives and dignitaries also convened at the two other attack sites, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden plans to speak and lay a wreath at the Pentagon, while first lady Jill Biden is scheduled to speak in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where one of the hijacked planes went down after passengers and crew members tried to storm the cockpit as the hijackers headed for Washington. Alleged Al-Qaeda conspirators had seized control of the jets to use them as passenger-filled missiles….