WASHINGTON - US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the war in Afghanistan, in which more than 2,000 American soldiers have died, was a fight to protect the US.
The day before the 11th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York, Panetta visited the Flight 93 National Memorial in western Pennsylvania and spoke about the war in Afghanistan which had been triggered by the events of September 11.
"My concern is that too often, we do not express our concern and our attention for those that are fighting and dying for this country. We're continuing to lose good men and women in battle in Afghanistan. They're putting their lives on the line every day. And every day, they are fighting to make sure that this country is protected. We cannot forget that sacrifice," he said.
Panetta added those 11 years after the attack, American men and women "in uniform" are still fighting to keep the US safe from those who would do it harm. He added that this September 11 was an opportunity to reaffirm a pledge.
"Our pledge to those who died on 9/11, our pledge to their families and our pledge to all Americans, that we will remain forever vigilant against threats to our homeland and that nobody, nobody attacks the United States of America and gets away with it," he said.
The 9/11 attacks were a series of four suicide-backed attacks committed in the US on September 11, 2001, coordinated to strike the areas of New York City and the capital Washington, D.C.
Nineteen terrorists from the Islamist militant group Al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets and piloted two of the planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, into the twin towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. Both towers collapsed within two hours.
The hijackers also intentionally crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and had planned intended to pilot the fourth jet, United Airlines Flight 93, into the US Capitol Building in Washington, but were resisted by passengers who had learned of the earlier hijackings mid-flight. Instead, Flight 93 came down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after its passengers attempted to take control of the jet from the hijackers.
Panetta paid his respects to those 40 passengers and crew members who died in that flight and met with their relatives.
Nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks, including the 246 civilians and 19 hijackers aboard the four planes.
There are still more than 80,000 US troops in Afghanistan after fighting the insurgents for 11 years. The US has lost more than 2,000 soldiers in the Afghan war launched in October 2001. (Tolo News)