Twenty years ago, on Sept. 11 2001, 60 years after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. suffered another surprise attack on its soil, this time by Al Qaeda terrorists. A total of 2,997 people were killed in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.
The U.S. quickly confirmed the identity of the attackers and from whence they had planned and launched their attacks — the country of Afghanistan. Our NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies invoked Article 5 of the treaty and joined forces to defend the U.S., the first time in NATO history.
An ultimatum was issued to the Taliban government of Afghanistan to hand over the Al Qaeda terrorists for what they had done. The Taliban refused, which led to a brilliant US-led military campaign to drive the Taliban from power and capture/kill the Al Qaeda terrorists.