Finale of the Forever War

The jetliners that were flown by al-Qaeda terrorists into the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001 changed the world forever. Fortress America looked vulnerable, radical Islam was on the march, and a new era of terror was launched.

The immediate result of the attacks was a US declaration of war against terror, backed up by a coalition of other Western countries. Just three days after 9/11, Congress passed the “authorization for use of military force against terrorists,” which was signed into law by President George W. Bush four days later. The law authorized the president to use military force to strike everyone responsible for the terror attacks as well as anyone who gave them shelter.

Things moved quickly from there. On September 20, Bush delivered an ultimatum to the Taliban government of Afghanistan — turn over terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden or suffer the consequences. With the fires still burning at Ground Zero, Bush made good on his threat, as America — together with a coalition of NATO allies — invaded Afghanistan less than a month after the attacks, on October 7,

When American jets began pounding the Taliban, no one could have predicted that the attempt to destroy al-Qaeda’s hosts would turn into a quagmire that has lasted two decades. No one can forget where they were on 9/11, but for a child born on that day, Americans fighting in Afghanistan has been the only reality he’s known.