America mourns on 16th anniversary of 9/11 attacks

World Today

A woman walks past a World Trade Center tribute banner showing the names of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at Willie Mays Plaza outside of AT&T Park in San Francisco, Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Americans are marking the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Thousands gathered in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania to honor the nearly 3000 killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

CGTN’s Jim Spellman takes a look at those ceremonies.

Across the street from where the original World Trade Center once stood in New York City, a bell rang out to honor those killed 16 years ago. On September 11, 2001, the terrorist attack on this site changed the course of American history, killing almost 3,000 people.

For many families of the victims, the pain is still fresh.

“He was my only brother. It seems like yesterday,” Barry Zelman explained. “It just, it never gets any easier, because you go to work, you don’t expect to be murdered and disappear. So, it’s just a heartbreak that just is always there.”

In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence attended a ceremony where a plane crashed after passengers fought back against its hijackers.

At the Pentagon, Donald Trump marked the day for the first time as U.S. President, vowing to continue the fight against terrorism.

“For the families with us on this anniversary, we know that not a single day goes by when you don’t think about the loved ones stolen from your life,” the president said. “Today, our entire nation grieves with you and with every family of those 2,977 innocent souls who were murdered by terrorists.”

Trump is the third American president to oversee the war in Afghanistan launched by then President George W. Bush in response to the 2001 attacks. He recently revised the U.S. strategy there, giving more autonomy to military commanders who are expected to increase troop levels.

As the U.S. mourns the 16th anniversary of the attacks, there is still no end to what has become the longest war in U.S. history.