Timeline of the War on Terror
- Sept. 11, 2001: Hijacked airliners crash into both towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon outside Washington. A fourth hijacked plane, meant to fly into the White House, instead crashes in a Pennsylvania field. According to the 9/11 Commission’s report, deaths totaled more than 2,600 at the World Trade Center, 125 at the Pentagon and 256 in the four planes. ("Timeline, Key Events in the War on Terror.")
- Sept. 13, 2001: President George W. Bush says apprehending bin Laden is his top goal. “The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden,” he says. “It is our No. 1 priority and we will not rest until we find him.” ("Timeline, Key Events in the War on Terror.")
(((Sound familiar?!))) - Oct. 7, 2001: The war in Afghanistan begins. Shortly after the first U.S. missiles hit Kabul, (Head)
- October 26, 2001: Bush Signs the PATRIOT Act (Head)
- March 20, 2003: The U.S. invades Iraq. (Head)
- December 16, 2005: When the Times learned that the Bush administration was conducting an illegal surveillance program in violation of the Fourth Amendment and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, they agreed--in the interests of national security--to sit on the story for a year. Once they went public, Arlen Specter protested, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued, and the Senate revised FISA to accommodate the program. ("Timeline, Key Events in the War on Terror.")
- May 1, 2011: bin Laden is killed in a U.S. raid on his compound in Pakistan. (Head)