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America marks six years since 9/11
NEW YORK: America marks the
sixth anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks today with more low key
commemoration than in the past and in the face of mounting
concern over the US-led “war on terror.”
In New York, where more than 2,700 people were killed when two
hijacked planes smashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade
Centre, rescue workers were to read out the names of the dead in
a solemn ceremony today.
As in previous years, al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden released a
taped message ahead of the commemoration, mocking the United
States as “weak” and threatening to escalate the increasingly
unpopular war in Iraq.
Unlike past commemoration, most of today’s ceremony will be held
at a park near Ground Zero, the area where the Twin Towers once
stood, and not in the site itself, where work is under way on
new skyscrapers and a memorial.
In what has become an annual ritual, the reading of the names
will pause for four moments of silence to mark the exact times
that the planes hit the towers and when the massive office
blocks collapsed.
Church bells are to toll at 8:46am (10.46pm PNG) to mark the
exact moment that the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11,
crashed into the North Tower.
Relatives of those killed will then be able to descend a long
ramp into the World Trade Centre site to lay flowers and pause
momentarily.
The ceremony is a lower profile event than the commemoration
last year to mark the fifth anniversary of the attacks, when
president George W. Bush laid a wreath at the site and later
made a televised address to the nation.
Bush, who this year called for Americans to mark the attacks
with memorial services and candlelight vigils, was to attend a
remembrance service in Washington and later observe a moment of
silence at the White House.
“The main problem is to fight extremism, to recognise that
history has called us into action,” Bush said last month,
maintaining a line he has held since the attacks.
“By fighting extremists and radicals, we help people realise
dreams. And helping people realise dreams helps promote peace.”
At Ground Zero, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is to lead
the ceremony, at which his predecessor, Republican presidential
hopeful Rudolph Giuliani, will also deliver a reading.
Some of the relatives of those killed in the attacks have
criticised Giuliani’s attendance, especially given his
presidential ambitions.
Giuliani has made much of his role as mayor in the aftermath of
the attacks, but firefighters especially have criticised the
city’s response to the disaster and accused Giuliani of making
political capital out of the attacks.
Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton, a New York
senator, is also due to take part in the ceremony, at which she
will help read the names of the dead.
In the evening, a “Tribute in Light” is to project two massive
beams of light into the night sky above Ground Zero to symbolise
the collapsed towers.
In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where hijackers brought down
United Airlines Flight 93 in a remote field, tributes were to be
held today to honour the 40 passengers and crew killed.
In Washington, where 184 people were killed when American
Airlines Flight 77 flew into the Pentagon, the defence
department organised a Freedom Walk on Sunday to honour the dead
and show support for US troops serving abroad.
More than 4,100 US troops have been killed in Iraq and
Afghanistan since Bush declared a “war on terror” in the
aftermath of the attacks.
His popularity has plummeted since he stood in the ruins of the
World Trade Centre with a bullhorn six years ago to rally the
American people.
Public dissatisfaction lies mainly in the war in Iraq and
concern over whether the US is safer now than it was six years
ago, when fugitive al-Qaeda leader bin Laden launched the
attacks.
The militant leader remains at large and is believed to be
hiding in the rough, mountainous region straddling the
Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
But perhaps the most troubling legacy of the attacks for New
Yorkers is the health of the rescue and recovery workers, who
six years on are suffering high rates of respiratory complaints
and post traumatic stress disorder. – AFP
 
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