1. Terrorism (9/11) Dan Carter, Haley Coker, Bethany Soph According to dictionary.com, terrorism is the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes.
2. Introduction The War in Afghanistan is an ongoing fight which began on October 7, 2001, as a retaliation to the September 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. & the World Trade Center. The war evolved from a violent struggle between the U.S. and Al-Qaeda and it’s Taliban followers. “The War on Terror is the campaign launched by the United States of America under the presidency of George W. Bush with the support of the United Kingdom and other countries” (War on Terror). In 1996 Al-Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden, formed a large base of operations in Afghanistan where the Taliban had taken control the year before. Terrorists are active in many countries; they are not just present in Iraq & the Middle East. The main terroristic attack in the 21st century was the destruction of the twin towers. However, many other attacks have taken place such as, the bus bombings in London, the bombings of the London underground, & the bombings in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
5. 9/11 It was just a normal day in New York City. At approximately 8:50 A.M., hijackers flew American Airlines Flight 11 into Tower One of the World Trade Center. Following this, at 9:04 A.M., United Airlines Flight 175 came plummeting into Tower Two of the World Trade Center. At 10:00 A.M., Tower Two crashed to the ground. This horrible picture was repeated at 10:30 A.M. when Tower One crashed to the ground. This attack was the death of around 3,000 men, women, & children. The weeks following 9/11, the American people joined forces & donated money, blood, and effort to those affected by the terroristic attacks. President George W. Bush immediately took action & called for all Allied Nations to fight terrorism. The attacks were definitely carried out by Al-Qaeda agents; the Pentagon also suffered. INTERESTING FACT- Tower Two hit the ground before Tower One. However, Tower One was hit first
6. Osama Bin Laden In 2004 Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks in 2001, however September 16th 2001 Osama bin Laden broadcasted he had nothing to do with this. A video later in 2001 showed that Osama bin Laden had prior knowledge about this catastrophe when he was talking with Khalid al-Harbi. The translator who translated this video said the Arabic was problematic so he could not be held to his words. However in the 2004 video Osama bin Laden admitted he directed the nineteen hijackers, and also in his video he accused George Bush of not putting as much care as he should of in the hijacking of September 11th. INTERESTING FACT- Osama bin Laden said he got his idea for the attack of the World Trade Center from watching the destruction of the 1982 Lebanon War.
7. American’s Around the World Not only did American suffer on American soil, but other Americans have suffered around the world.
8. Daniel Pearl Pearl was abducted January 23, 2002 when he was on his way to interview with Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilan at a village restaurant downtown. The kidnappers thought he was a member of the CIA. The National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty was the group that kidnapped Pearl. A message was sent to the US saying "We give you one more day if America will not meet our demands we will kill Daniel. Then this cycle will continue and no American journalist could enter Pakistan."They demands that Pakistan wanted included the freeing of all Pakistani terror detainees, and the release of a halted U.S. shipment of F-16 fighter jets to the Pakistani government. A video was also sent to the US showing the decapitation of Pearl. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. Is who US believed was in charge of the kidnapping was arrested along with people who were believed to be involved. INTERESTING FACT-Pearl’s body was found cut up into 10 pieces in a shallow grave.
10. Terrorist Attacks in England On July 7, 2005, in London, England, a series of suicide bombings occurred on London’s public transport system during rush hour. Four Muslim men committed these attacks; they were motivated by Britain's involvement in the Iraq war. At 8:50 A.M., 3 bombs exploded on the London underground. A fourth bomb exploded at 9:47 A.M. on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. The bombs were homemade, packed into rucksacks, & set off by bombers themselves. All four of the bombers died along with 52 other people; 700 were injured. The four men responsible for these bombings were Mohammad Sidique Khan, ShehzadTanweer, Germaine Lindsay, & HasibHussain. They were illegal in England & were recorded on CCTV approximately one hour before the bombings. INTERESTING FACT- A conspiracy theory states that the bombs were planted by the British secret service in an effort for support of British people.
11. Terrorist Attacks in Russia On November 27, 2009 in Uglovka, Russia there was a powerful bomb and it sent a high power and speed St. Petersburg train causing it to come off the tracks. It exploded 400 kilometers northwest of Moscow. Alexander Bortnikov, head of Russia’s Federal Service found an explosive that was detonated to go off at approximately 9:30 p.m. When the train ran over it a 1.5 metre crater and wreckage over the track was left. Russia in the recent years has became accustomed to the terrorism attacks, including the seizure of the Dubrovka theatre in October 2002 and also the kidnapping of mor than 1,000 hostages in a Beslan school in 2004. The southern boarder is used to attacks, the Nevsky Express appeared to anger Russia. Interesting Fact- President Dmitry Medvedev called for calm Saturday. "We need there to be no chaos, because the situation is tense as it is.“ (The Star 1).
12. Terrorism in Kuwait On December 12, 1983, the U.S. & French embassies, along with the Kuwait International Airport, were attacked by the Islamic Dawa Party. Then, in May of 1985, an assassination was attempted but not successful against Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah, the “prince” of Kuwait. On November 21, 2002, two American contractors with Tapestry Corporation were injured while driving when a Kuwaiti police shot at them within close distance. Later on, in January 31, 2005, Kuwait Police access a terrorist cell that belonged to the Peninsula Lions. Five members and a local civilian were killed. The most reported terrorism attacks was in August 11, 2009, when Kuwaiti authorities arrested six people that were thought to be planning attack on U.S. troops. The group was commonly thought to be tied to Al-Qaeda.
14. Waterboarding Waterboarding is a torturing method used against the terrorism suspects, it was approved by the Justice Department under President George W. Bush for use by the Central Intelligence Agency. However, the second day Barack Obama entered office this system was no longer allowed. During the Bush administration, this technique was not seen as torture as argued by lawyer, General Michael B. Mukasey. However, Eric H. Holder Jr, president Barrack Obama's attorney clearly stated it was torture in January 2009. He argues that we prosecuted our own soldiers for doing it in Vietnam. Because of this Barack Obama ordered that the only interrogation methods used could be those found in the Army Field Manual. On the other side, waterboarding has been used since the Spanish Inquisition and has become one of the more popular methods of getting information. This technique is used to create the feeling of drowning without causing an actual death. The "suspected terrorist" are strapped to an inclined board, immobilized and their head positioned lower than their feet, and sometimes there is a covering of the faced. This is used to trigger the gag reflex and to chock this suspect. Interesting Fact- "In other cases, the subject's head is submerged under water or his mouth is forced open and water is poured down his throat." (New York Times, Waterboarding)
