20 years hence life full circle from 9/11

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Twenty years of Terrorism

Terrorism puts a direct threat to the security of the citizens and hinders the stability and prosperity of a country. This global threat has no borders, nationality or religion.

A lot of terrorist attacks has shaken the countries and has led to a marginal decline in human and capital resources. Some of the dreadful terrorist attacks are mentioned below.

9/11 attack- World Trade Center
The attack killed more than three thousand people when two hijacked planes crashed into World Trade Center Towers that caused firing and then collapsed. This was one of the most dreadful terror attacks carried out by 19 terrorists of Al-Qaeda headed by Osama Bin Laden.

2002 Bali Bombings
It’s been 19 years since the attack but the terror still haunts. 19 years ago, three bomb blasts were executed at Paddy’s Pub and the Sari Club in Kuta. The 12th October attacks took away the lives of 202 people and left 209 injured.

Beslan School Tragedy
The tragedy took place on 1st September 2004 in Beslan. This terrorist attack claimed 335 lives out of which 186 were children. No one can forget this tragedy, especially the mothers who lost their children.

London Transport Bombings
The 7/7 bombings were a series of planned suicide bombings in Central London that targeted the civilians during morning rush hours. The attack killed 52 civilians and left more than 700 people injured. There were four Islamist terrorists who had detonated three bombs in public transport.

Mumbai Railway Bombings
It was a series of seven bomb blasts that took place within 11 minutes on the Suburban Railway in Mumbai. The bombs were placed in the pressure cooker of the trains of the Western Line Suburban Railway network. Around 209 people were killed and more than 700 people were injured.

26/11 Taj attacks
This is one of the most dreadful and unforgettable attacks that shook the entire nation. 10 members of Lashkar-eTaiba executed a series of 12 planned shootings and bomb attacks which lasted for four days in Mumbai. The attack killed 164 people and 308 were wounded.

Breivik Shootings
The attack took place on 11th July 2011 which was against the government and Workers’ Youth League. The first attack was a car explosion in Oslo followed by a summer camp on the island of Utoya. It was carried out by Andres Behring Breivik who took charge of both the bomb attacks. The attacks claimed the lives of 77 people.

Boston Marathon Bombing
It was a terrorist attack during the Boston Marathon in April 2013 when two pressure-cooker bombs exploded for about 12 seconds and 190m far from the marathon’s finish line. Three lives were claimed and 264 people were injured during the attack.

Westgate Mall Shootings, Nairobi
The Westgate Shopping mall which is considered to be the most expensive shopping mall in Nairobi was attacked by unidentified gunmen on 21st September 2013. The dreadful incident resulted in 67 deaths and more than 175 people were left injured in the mass shooting.

Peshawar School Massacre
An army-run school in north-western Pakistan was attacked by seven Talibani militants. This was the deadliest terror attack where children aged between 12- 16 were gunned down by militants in their classrooms. The attack claimed the lives of 132 children and 9 adults.

Charlie Hebdo Shootings
Two brothers armed with assault rifles made their way into the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris. They had other weapons, too and killed 11 people and left another 11 injured. They identified themselves as Al-Qaeda’s terrorists in Yemen who acknowledged their killings and blamed the cartoons and jokes which were printed in the newspaper.

Metrojet Flight 9268
The flight was carrying 217 passengers and 7 crews members all of whom were killed. A bomb was put on the aircraft at Sharm-el-Sheikh that led to the suspension of flights from other countries. Shortly after the catastrophe the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)took responsibility for the air crash.

Nice Attack
A cargo truck weighing 19 tonnes drove over crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais situated in Nice, Frace. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, the man behind this attack was shot dead by the police during an exchange of gunfire. It was claimed by the two agencies who were linked with ISIL that the attack was executed by the organisation.

Beirut Bombings
This was another major attack from ISIL in a very less span of time. The attack killed 43 and over 200 were injured when two men wearing suicide bomb vests came to attack Beirut. They targeted the Shi’a Muslims which was undergoing political unrest.

Paris Attacks
After the Charlie Hebdo shootings, Paris has been on high alert. The attackers had killed 130 people which included 89 at the Bataclan theatre. Another 368 people were also left injured out of which 80-99 were seriously injured. However, seven of the attackers also died. It was again ISIL who took responsibility for the attack.

Manchester Arena Bombing
The 22-year-old Salman Ramadan was a suicide bomber who entered Manchester Arena in Manchester, England where Ariana Grande’s concert took place. There were 22 people who had lost their lives including kids who were barely eight years old. Another 119 were injured and 23 critical. Later, ISIS acknowledged the attacks which were assumed to be acted largely alone.

Orlando Nightclub Shooting
This was the deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter and also the deadliest day of violence against the LGBTQ community in the history of the US after 9/11. It was Omar Mateen who executed a terrorist attack inside Pulse which was a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The shooting claimed the lives of 49 people and left 53 injured.

Istanbul Nightclub Shooting
A single shooter killed more than three dozen of people and injured 70 at the Reina nightclub in the Besiktas district of Istanbul on New Year’s Day. The attacker escaped the police cordon but was later arrested on 17th January. It was again ISIL, who was behind this attack.

Mastung Suicide Bombing
A suicide bombing was executed by the state during an election rally in the Matsung area. 149 lives were claimed including Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Siraj Raisani. The incident took place on 13th July 2018 in South-Western Pakistan.

Sri Lanka Easter Bombings
On 21st April 2019, suicide bombers killed 253 people and injured 500 at churches and hotels across Sri Lanka. The explosion took place at the luxury hotels, the Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury and the Catholic churches. The majority of the lives claimed were Sri Lankan. Sri Lankan police confirmed there were a total of nine suicide bombers which included one woman.