The United States is marking the 14th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on Friday with a series of observances to remember that horrifying day.
President Barack Obama along with his wife and White House staff observed a public moment of silence Friday morning on the White House lawn at 8:46 am local time, when the first hijacked airliner slammed into the north tower of World Trade Center in New York.
In the afternoon, the president will hold a town hall meeting with service members at Fort Meade just outside Washington to talk with Americans helping to keep the country safe.
PHOTO GALLERY: U.S. Marks 14th Anniversary, Sept. 11, 2015
PHOTO GALLERY: Images from September 11, 2001
In New York, families of the victims gathered for a tolling of bells and the reading of the names of those killed in the terrorist attack. Moments of silence were held at 8:46 am and 9:03 am, when a second plane hit the south tower of the World Trade Center.
Pentagon
At the Pentagon, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and other officials joined in remembrances for the victims' relatives and Pentagon employees. One of the four planes hijacked on September 11, 2001, crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 people.
Earlier, a large American flag was unfurled down the side of the Pentagon where a commercial jet struck it.
Also, there was a moment of silence at 10:03 a.m. when one of the planes crashed into a field in Shanksville in western Pennsylvania, before reaching its likely target of Washington, killing all 44 people aboard.
In all, nearly 3,000 people were killed when al-Qaida terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes in coordinated suicide attacks.
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry honored those killed in the September 11 attacks, as well as the four people who died in the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012. One of them was U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, NATO military officials and soldiers marked the 14th anniversary with a short ceremony at Resolute Support headquarters in the capital, Kabul.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed when al-Qaida terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes in coordinated suicide attacks on the U.S on September 11, 2001. Two of the planes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York, another hit the Pentagon and a fourth crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, before reaching its likely target of Washington.
The 19 al-Qaida terrorists who hijacked the planes were also killed. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin-Laden and his terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks. U.S. forces assassinated him in a surprise raid on his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011.
The 19 al-Qaida terrorists who hijacked the planes were also killed. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin-Laden and his terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks. U.S. forces assassinated him in a surprise raid on his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011.
Pennsylvania
Near Shanksville in western Pennsylvania, the Flight 93 National Memorial is marking the completion of its visitor center in memory of the 40 passengers and crewmembers who carried out a sustained assault against the hijackers for control of the plane.
Memorials have been erected elsewhere, too.
In New York, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum operates where the World Trade Center's twin towers once stood. The museum houses artifacts and photographs connected to the attack.
The 184 people who died at the Pentagon are honored with 184 benches over pools of water.
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