STORY: The USA commemorated the victims of the September 11 attacks 21 years ago with several major commemorative events. On Sunday, high-ranking government officials, survivors and relatives of those killed at all three sites of the attack commemorated the nearly 3,000 people who died in the devastating attacks. At a funeral service at the Department of Defense in Arlington near the capital Washington, US President Joe Biden promised not to let up in the fight against terrorism. “We are not only a nation founded on principles, but also on an idea that sets us apart from other nations, which is unique in the world. The idea that every human being is created equal and should be treated the same throughout their lives “We don’t always live up to that idea. But we’ve never strayed from it. That’s what makes us strong. That’s what makes us who we are. And that’s what the hijackers do best.” most hoped to destroy when they attacked our buildings and our people. They failed.” In New York, a bell rang at 8:46 a.m., marking the moment the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center in 2001. Relatives then read the names of all the victims. On September 11, 2001, Islamist extremists hijacked four planes. After they crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, a short time later another plane flew into the South Tower. American Airlines Flight 77 steered the attackers into the Department of Defense near Washington. A fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers resisted the hijackers.