US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Friday paid tribute to the victims of 9/11 terror attacks and expressed the US' resolve against terrorism.
NEW DELHI — US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Friday paid tribute to the victims of 9/11 terror attacks and expressed the US' resolve against terrorism.
Gor shared the statement as the world marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed 2,977 people in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
"Twenty-five years later, we remember the innocent lives lost on 9/11. We keep their families in our prayers, we will never forget them. We will always stand against terrorism," Gor posted on X.
On 9/11, 19 hijackers belonging to al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger planes, two of which crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York.
Another was weaponised against the Pentagon, but the passengers heroically overpowered the hijackers, forcing the plane to crash into a field in Pennsylvania before it could hit their intended target in Washington.
US President Donald Trump has proclaimed September 11 (Friday) as Patriot Day to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“A quarter of a century has passed since the terrible day of September 11, 2001, and an entire generation of Americans has now come of age with no living memory of that fateful day,” Trump said in a White House proclamation issued on Wednesday (local time).
He called for the promise to remember the victims and the events of that day to be renewed across the country.
“The passage of time must never dim what will forever burn bright in the conscience of our Nation,” Trump said. “Amid the ashes of Ground Zero, we made a solemn vow to Never Forget -- a vow that must be renewed in every American heart, taught in every classroom, and honoured in every community across our land.”
The proclamation recounted how hijackers seized four commercial aircraft on September 11, 2001, and struck the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers confronted the hijackers.
Trump highlighted the actions of the passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93, including Todd Beamer, who helped lead the effort to retake the aircraft.
“In laying down their lives, those 40 patriots transformed a quiet field into hallowed ground -- leaving behind an everlasting testament to the unbreakable will of the American people,” he said.
The President also honoured police officers, firefighters, emergency personnel, rescue workers and volunteers who responded to the attacks. Nearly 100 emergency and first responder agencies participated in rescue and evacuation efforts in New York City, according to the proclamation.