Into a New Century The War on Terrorism

September 11, 2001  Two airplanes hit the World Trade Center and a third hit the Pentagon A fourth plane was taken back by Passengers and crashed in an open field. It’s probable target: The Whitehouse  All passengers and crew members on the four planes were killed.  Terrorism is the use of violence by nongovernmental groups against civilians to achieve a political goal.

Middle East Terrorism and the United States  There have been many incidents of terrorism in American history, most terrorist attacks on Americans since World War II have been carried out by Middle Eastern groups.  Throughout the Middle East, new movements arose calling for a strict interpretation of religious laws.  American support of Israel angered many of the Middle East.  In 1947, the UN divided British controlled Palestine into two territories to provide a home for Jews.

A New Terrorist Threat  A 22-year-old Muslim named Osama bin Laden.  al-Qaeda, or “the Base.” Al-Qaeda recruited Muslims to fight in Afghanistan and channeled money and arms to the Afghani resistance.  He transformed al-Qaeda into a terrorist organization and launched a series of attacks against Americans.  In late 1999, terrorists linked to al-Qaeda were arrested trying to smuggle explosives into the United States in an attempt to bomb Seattle, Washington.

America Unites  On September 11, terrorists struck again, hijacking four American passenger planes and executing the most devastating terrorists attack in history.

America Unites Citizens Respond to the Crises  The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon shocked many Americans.  Everywhere around the nation, Americans put up flags to show their unity and resolve.  The terrorists had hoped the attacks would divide Americans, they were wrong.

America Unites A National Emergency  All civilian airliners were grounded.  On September 14, President Bush declared a national emergency, and Congress voted unanimously to authorize the use of force to fight the terrorists.  Intelligence sources and FBI investigators quickly identified the attacks as the work of Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network.  The government began planning a massive and comprehensive response to the terrorist attacks.

A New War Begins Cutting Terrorist Funding  One important way to fight terrorist organizations is to cut off their funding.  Depriving terrorists of their funding, requires the cooperation of financial institutions in other countries.

A New War Begins Fighting Terrorism At Home  As part of his effort to protect the American people from further terrorist attacks, President Bush announced the creation of a new federal agency.  The president asked Congress to pass legislation to help law enforcement agencies track down terrorist suspects.  President Bush signed the new antiterrorist bill into law in late October 2001.

A New War Begins War in Afghanistan  On October 7, 2001, the United States launched the first military operation of the war on terrorism.  United States, began bombing targets in Afghanistan.  Taliban’s military forces.  The arrival of the special forces enabled American bombing to become more accurate.  President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld expected Taliban and al-Qaeda to take refuge in the caves that honeycomb Afghanistan’s mountains.