the war against terrorism timeline

War on terrorism

September 11, 2001 was, without doubt, one of the most significant days in 2001. Three planes were used as missiles against the WTC and the Pentagon by a rogue force (i.e terrorists).

USA's president, George W. Bush said right away that he was going to find "those folks" who did this to his country. The word "war" was used from an early stage.

Here is how it all happened:

• 11 September 2001
  • A plane crashes into the World Trade Center. People start wondering what kind of an accident this was. 18 minutes later another plane crashes into the other tower of the WTC. If there ever was any doubt, this removed it - The crashes were acts of violence, not accidents.
  • The two towers collapse. Initial fears of 50 000 deaths are reduced to 20 000 (10 000 per tower) and later to 10 000. The final death toll is 6,729 people.
  • A third plane crashes into the Pentagon, killing about 300 people
  • 200 fire / emergency personnel died during and after the accidents.
  • It is quickly established that the whole thing is an act of terrorism
  • Yasser Arafat condemns the terrorist attacks, along with most other world leaders.
  • Major sites on the the Internet (such as CNN and BBC etc) crawls to a near stand-still because of the massive thirst for information
• 12 September 2001
  • Arabs and people with middle eastern facial features are attacked on the streets in the USA.
  • USA re-opens their airspace, but tightens security, and has a lot of fighter planes on the wings.
  • NATO accepts the use of "Article 5", which means that the attacks are seen as attacks on all NATO countries.
  • Fear of copycats copying the terrorist acts spreads. Security experts feel this is more likely than the same people who were responsible for the Sep. 11 attacks to re-execute the same type of attacks.
  • Another building in the WTC complex collapses. The 50 floor building was fully evacuated and burning fiercely.
  • the serbian nation state officially says they don't denounce the terrorist acts, although they feel sorry for the civilian lives that were lost.
• 13 September 2001
  • Without having any firm proof of who performed these acts, the USA is mobilizing for war. Although the word revenge is not used, it is clear that this is the general consensus of the situation.
  • Osama Bin Laden is pointed out as main suspect
• 14 September 2001
• the Taliban offers to hand out Osama Bin Laden to a third state.
• Taliban officially condemns the terrorist actions
• Pakistan close their airspace
• the FBI is lobbying towards being able to tap and monitor electronic traffic.
• The names of the hijackers are published.
• The black box of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon is found.
• 15 September 2001
• the Taliban threatens to attack neighboring countries who help the USA attacking Afghanistan
• Russia offers to help attacking the nation who is proven to be behind the terrorism
• Saddam Hussain of Iraq pleads not to retaliate the violence with more violence
• 25 people suspected to be connected to the terrorist acts are arrested
• 16 September 2001
• Pakistan demands the Taliban to hand over Osama Bin Laden
• Richard B. Cheney, USA's vice president says that Afghanistan will probably be attacked. He confirms that the USA has enough evidence to prove that Osama Bin Laden was behind the attacks
• Newsweek caims that the FBI knew about two of the terrorists, and possibly what they were planning as well..
• 17 September 2001
• USA says they want Osama Bin Laden "dead or alive"
• Microsoft announces they will remove the WTC from their Microsoft Flight Simulator version 2002.
• 18 September 2001
  • Rudolph Giuliani, New York's mayor says that chances are slim of getting any more survivors out of the WTC ruins.
  • Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president warns USA against endangering the lives of innocent people.
  • the Taliban calls on a holy war (Jihad).
  • The NYFD (New York Fire Dept) are celebrated as heroes
  • Speculations arise about to what degree terrorists have been manipulating the stock market to earn money on the tragedies
  • The Taliban believes Bin Laden might be guilty of planning the terrorist attacks.
• 19 September 2001
• A land invasion of Afghanistan is claimed to be difficult. During previous conflicts with Afghanistan, Russia dug down roughly 10 000 land-, vehicular- and personnel mines
• CNN is kicked out of Afghanistan by the Taliban
• Extensive AntiUSA demonstrations take place in Pakistan
• 21 September 2001
  • US special forces are moving into neighboring countries of Afghanistan
  • The northern Alliance, Taliban's traditional enemies are commencing offence against the Taliban. Donald Rumsfeld, US minister of defence, promises to help them with weapons etc.
  • the EU sends signals that retribution after the attacks is a good thing.
• 22 September 2001
• More than 5000 members of US and UK forces are being moved to the Afghan border
• 23 September 2001
• a division of the UK special forces SAS is moving into Afghanistan
• Pakistan still refuses to have UK and US forces in their country.
• In a poll done for CNN, 90% of the 1000 people asked believe that George W. Bush is doing a good job following the September 11 incidents.
• 24 September 2001
• Massive fear of flying along with an upcoming recession leaves airline companies in deep trouble financially
• Taliban claim they have recruited and are training 300,000 new soldiers.
• Taliban claim they can't find Osama bin Laden anywhere.
• Taliban say a possible death of bin laden won't mean that Terrorism stops.
• 25 September 2001
• Osama Bin Laden officially declares war
• 27 September 2001
• George W. Bush says he wants armed guards on airlines.
• Two Generals of the USAF are allowed to authorize downing of civilian airliners.
• Yvonne Ridley, a british journalist writing for the Sunday Express is arrested in Afghanistan
• CIA fears that the Taliban / Osama Bin Laden might be buying parts to build nuclear weapons from russian mafia
• 28 September 2001
• Osama Bin Laden claims he didn't know about the terrorist attacks - and that he definitely had nothing to do with them.
• 30 September 2001
• Roughly 7000 people in Washington, DC protest agains the war in Afghanistan
• 2 October 2001
• 7 October 2001
• Yvonne Ridley is released
• 2 October 2001
• Osama Bin Laden has been observed in Kabul
• 3 October 2001
• Web sites all over the USA pull sensitive information that might help terrorists off the net (if the assumption that the terror acts have been planned for several years is correct, this act seems like much of a joke.. But oh well. It might help in the future)
• 10 October 2001
• the anthrax spores that have been sent all over the USA seem to be originating from an experiment in Iowa back in the 50's
• the FBI claims that there are no credible threats to drinking water reservoirs in the USA
• 13 October 2001
• Dick Cheney believes Bin Laden might be behind the Anthrax scare
• 14 October 2001
• Rudolph Giuliani, mayor of New York is knighted by the queen of England for his work during the terrorist actions
• 19 October 2001
• A handful US special troops are sent into Afghanistan, most likely to prepare for a larger ground-invasion.
• 22 October 2001
• the Taliban accuses the USA for commiting genocide, after US bombs hit a hospital
• 23 October 2001
• USA realize they can't win the war quickly, and are preparing for winter missions / bombing. Apparantly, Navy SEALs have been sent on extra winter training in Norway
• 25 October 2001
• George W. Bush signs the USA Patriot Act, effectively restricting privacy in the USA to a minimum (see PGP)
• 26 October 2001
• Abdul Haq, one of USA's last chances for an inside-operation, is killed by the Taliban
• 31 October 2001
• USA restricts flying zones near nuclear sites such as scientific centers and nuclear power plants.
• 3 November 2001
• Iran criticizes the US for their bombing raids on Afghanistan, and supports the Taliban regime.
• 6 November 2001
• USA starts using cluster bombs against Afghanistan, a much disputed decision due to the nature of these types of bombs.
• 9 November 2001
• Bush claims that the campaign in Afghanistan is about waging a war about "saving civilization itself"
• 32,000 people have been given antibiotics to protect them from Anthrax
• 12 November 2001
• the Northern Alliance break through Taliban front lines over Kabul. They capture nearly 1300 Talibans, and many are executed
• 13 November 2001
• Taliban forces are retreating from Kabul, Afghanistans capital.
• 18 November 2001
• CNN says that the Taliban is trapped in a small area in the south of Afghanistan
• Reports of mass Taliban suicides in several cities
• 20 November 2001
• Bin Laden is still not caught, but the chase continues
• Four journalists are killed in Kabul. Two of them are from the Reuters News Agency

-30-

Dear George,

Today the official death toll of your dirty little war has reached the 2,000 mark. This is only US military casualties. It does not include the Iraqi civilians who have died, or the American and foreign national civilians who have been ambushed, kidnapped, beheaded, shot, blown up, and otherwise killed.

So, it's 2,000. Since March of 2003. That's less than three years, George. Three years of little boys playing GI Joe and dying for your imaginary weapons of mass destruction that have never been found.

Meanwhile, back at home, your administration is taking a Nixonian turn, isn't it? Your vice president is implicated in leaking the name of an undercover CIA agent. Your primary puppeteer appears to be in it up to his neck, too. Your job approval ratings have sunk to an all time low and are still sinking, and holy crap, a majority of Americans are now saying that this little war of yours is wrong, immoral, and should end.

I still don't see Jenna or Barbie or any of your brothers' kids over in Iraq or Afghanistan. I guess you're saving them out for Syria? Heaven knows, we could use some of that indomitable force of character you Bushes possess in our next theater of war. Are they getting ready to serve? Have they been trying on their Versace camo fatigues? I bet Jenna's behind looks great in a tight pair. Before you try to draft any of the children I love, Mr. Bush, I expect you to send your own pair in.

You've managed to do what Ronald Reagan failed to. You've started World War Three. Except it isn't really a world war, now, is it? It's really just a war against Islam, right? It's just your little way of keeping the world safe for Democracy and for Jesus. You make me ashamed to be an American, and even more ashamed to be a Christian.

So how many more kids are going to die before you are satisfied? How many Iraqi children need to be bombed out of their homes? How many more little old men will be shot in the streets? How many more truck drivers from Australia or the US will be beheaded? And how many more young men will be shot from ambush, dying for some ideal that only you and Karl Rove know about?

Just some questions for you to think about.

One or two more.

How can you bow your head and seek your Father in prayer, knowing that you are a lying, murdering swine? How much hypocrisy do you really possess? They say that your White House is the most prayerful White House in recent memory. Do you believe that God is really standing there saying "You bet, George, war is good. Let's kill some of those Me-damned towel headed sand rats!"?

It's time to put down the crack pipe, George. Your administration is crumbling, and the people are getting tired of you.

No love,

Jenn McWhorter

PS: I was just in the living room listening to my kids playing in their room. They were singing "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands", and my youngest sang "He's got President Bush..." - and then my middle son said, "No, no He doesn't! But he DOES have... Richard Nixon in His hands... Nixon wasn't as bad as Bush!" The middle boy is 10, and even he is on to you.