(AFA - 2014)SEPTEMBER 11On September 11, 2001, nin

(AFA - 2014)

SEPTEMBER 11

On September 11, 2001, nineteen militants
associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda
hijacked four airlines and carried out suicide attacks
against targets in the United States. Two of the planes
⁵were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in
New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside
Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field
in Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks
resulted in extensive death and destruction, activating
¹⁰major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defining
the presidency of George W. Bush. Over three thousand
people were killed during the attacks in New York City
and Washington, D.C., including more than four hundred
police officers and firefighters.
¹⁵              At 8:45 a.m., on a clear Tuesday morning, an
American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with twenty
thousand gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower
of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact
left a wide, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-
²⁰story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and
trapping hundreds more in higher floors. Eighteen
minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767–
United Airlines Flight 175–appeared out of the sky,
turned sharply toward the World Trade Center and
²⁵crashed into the south tower near the 60th floor. The
collision caused a massive explosion that showered
burning fragment over surrounding buildings and the
streets below. America was under attack.
               The attackers were Islamic terrorists from Saudi
³⁰Arabia and several other Arab nations. Reportedly
financed by Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda
terrorist organization, they _____________(1) in
retaliation for America's support of Israel, its involvement
in the Persian Gulf War and its continued military
³⁵presence in the Middle East. Some of the terrorists had
lived in the United States for more than a year and
_____________(2) flying lessons at American
commercial flight schools.
               As millions watched the events unfolding in New
⁴⁰York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown
Washington, D.C., and banged into the west side of the
Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m. Jet fuel from
the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to
the structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete
⁴⁵building. Less than fifteen minutes after the terrorists
struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in
New York took a catastrophic turn for the worse when
the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a
massive cloud of dust and smoke. At 10:30 a.m., the
⁵⁰other Trade Center tower collapsed. Close to three
thousand people died in the World Trade Center and its
vicinity, including an impressive three hundred and forty
three firefighters and paramedics, twenty three New York
City police officers and thirty seven Port Authority police
⁵⁵officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation
of the buildings and save the office workers trapped* on
higher floors.
              Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane–
United Flight 93–was hijacked about forty minutes after
⁶⁰leaving Newark International Airport in New Jersey.
Because the plane had been delayed in taking off,
passengers on board learned of events in New York and
Washington via cell phone calls to the ground. Knowing
that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the
⁶⁵hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight
attendants planned a rebellion. One of the passengers,
Thomas Burnett Jr., told his wife over the phone that "I
know we're all going to die. There are three of us who
are going to do something about it. I love you, honey."
⁷⁰Another passenger–Todd Beamer–was heard saying
"Are you guys ready? Let's roll" over an open line.
              The passengers fought the four hijackers and
are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire
extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped
⁷⁵toward the ground, crashing in a rural field in western
Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m. All forty-five people aboard
were killed. Within two months, U.S. forces had
effectively removed the Taliban from operational power,
but the war continued. Osama bin Laden, was finally
⁸⁰chased and killed by U.S. forces in Abbottabad,
Pakistan.

Adapted from http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks Acessado em 04/04/2013

 

 Glossary: 

*Trapped – to be in a bad situation that is difficult to escape.

 

The word “meanwhile” (paragraph 5) indicates in the text that