Original title: this attack has not only changed the United States, but also changed the world
Beijing, September 11 (Dong Hanyang) at about 9 a.m. on September 11, 2001, there were two loud noises in the clear sky. Two planes crashed into the twin towers of the world trade center one after another. The black and gray smoke rose instantly and turned into "Purgatory on earth".

On September 11, 2001, a plane hijacked by terrorists crashed into the world trade center. (source: Zhongxin video)
20 years later, the roar and scream at that time have dissipated, but for the people of the United States and even Afghanistan, the haze of the "9.11" incident has not dissipated.
The terrorist attack that killed nearly 3000 people has changed not only the United States, but also the world.
"9.11" terrorist attack changed their lives
A representative "dust lady" photo captures the panic of the survivors of the "9 / 11" incident.

"9 / 11 Survivor" Ms. dust "Marcy bodes.
The survivor, Marcy bodes, was a legal assistant at Bank of America. After the "9 / 11" incident, she couldn't get rid of the shadow - she was worried all day because of the reports that the health of 9 / 11 firefighters was affected. In 2014, Marcy was also confirmed to have cancer. A year later, she died forever.
According to the statistics of relevant institutions, in the United States, the number of sick deaths caused by the "9.11" attack has exceeded the number of deaths caused by the attack. Terrorists have left heavy and lasting harm to many Americans, and this influence lasts a lifetime.
However, for a long time, the follow-up issues such as accountability and compensation of the U.S. government for "9.11" have continued to advance slowly.
One of the victims, former New York City police officer Alvarez, died of cancer complications in 2019. Until his death, he still insisted on going to the U.S. Congress for a hearing and called for legislation to continue to provide compensation to the victims of "9.11".
In addition, due to the complex and long process of victim identification, some patients have not been eligible for compensation.
At the same time, after 9 / 11, "counter-terrorism" has become the first priority of the U.S. government. U.S. visas began to be accompanied by "fingerprint" requirements, and intelligence agencies openly recruited "informants" in order to collect intelligence... However, a series of measures did not make many Americans feel safer. On the contrary, to a certain extent, they intensified xenophobia and ethnic contradictions in the United States, further tearing apart the United States.
Until now, domestic terrorism in the United States has grown, and the "lone wolf" terrorist attack is impossible to prevent.

On August 26 local time, two explosions occurred outside the airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, killing and wounding many people. The picture shows the injured in the hospital.
The war on terror affects generations
Thousands of miles away, Afghanistan, which has suffered from war and terrorist attacks, is still unable to look forward to the long-awaited peace.
After the "9.11" incident, the United States launched the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq. In Afghanistan alone, the US government spent $2 trillion on this "longest war".
Meanwhile, the United States used "drones" to behead terrorists, but often hurt innocent people due to intelligence errors. After 20 years of war, 30000 civilians died and 11 million became refugees.
The presence of the United States in the Middle East failed to eliminate the local presence of terrorism, but exacerbated the spread of terrorism. The number of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan has increased from single digits to more than 20 in the past 20 years.
20 years after the September 11 incident, as the United States adjusted its strategic objectives in global counter-terrorism, the withdrawal of US allies from Kabul also left new problems for the world.
The war on terrorism has brought about a major turning point in American strategy, which has not only changed the fate of several generations, but also affected the rules of world operation and many aspects of human social life. However, some changes are fate that people do not want but have to accept. (end)