9/11 — What Really Happened?

Carlos Taylhardat | September 11, 2025

Intro

The morning of September 11, 2001, dawned bright and clear over the East Coast. In less than two hours, four hijacked airplanes would turn that day into the deadliest terrorist attack in American history. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost, two wars were launched, and a generation grew up under the shadow of a new word—terrorism.

Today, on the anniversary, we look back not only at what happened but also at what the official record says, what skeptics still question, and how the aftermath continues to shape politics, rights, and wars nearly a quarter of a century later.

What Happened

Nineteen al-Qaeda operatives boarded four commercial flights on the morning of September 11.

• American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m.
• United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower at 9:03 a.m.
• American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.
• United Airlines Flight 93 never reached its target. Passengers, who had learned by phone that other planes had already hit New York, revolted against the hijackers. The plane went down in a Pennsylvania field at 10:03 a.m.

Investigators later concluded Flight 93’s most likely target was the U.S. Capitol. Their rebellion prevented an even greater tragedy.

By the end of the day, both towers had collapsed, the Pentagon’s western wall was scarred, and the nation was shaken to its core.

The Official Report

In 2002, Congress created the 9/11 Commission, which, after 18 months, delivered a definitive account. The findings were stark:

• The attacks were conceived and carried out by al-Qaeda under Osama bin Laden.
• The hijackers exploited U.S. immigration and aviation vulnerabilities.
• Intelligence agencies had fragments of the plot but failed to share information across silos.
• Multiple opportunities to disrupt the plan were missed.

The Commission recommended sweeping changes: creation of the Director of National Intelligence, tighter watchlists, stronger aviation security, and a more coordinated counterterrorism strategy.

Those reforms reshaped American government and civil liberties for decades.

Tucker Carlson’s 9/11

This week, commentator Tucker Carlson reignited old debates with a new docuseries. In an interview with Piers Morgan, he argued that Americans “still don’t know what actually happened,” pointing to disputed issues like the collapse of World Trade Center Building 7 and alleged foreign foreknowledge.

These views have long been contested. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) attributed Building 7’s collapse to fires and structural failure. The 9/11 Commission dismissed claims of foreign state complicity beyond al-Qaeda.

Yet Carlson’s remarks highlight a broader truth: two decades later, many Americans distrust the official story as much as they distrust the officials who told it. See

The Aftermath

Afghanistan

Within weeks, the U.S. and allies launched Operation Enduring Freedom, toppling the Taliban regime that sheltered bin Laden. NATO’s ISAF mission soon drew in partners, including Canada and the United Kingdom. Kabul fell quickly, but the war stretched on for twenty years, America’s longest.

For Afghan women, the early years brought real change. Dr. Sima Samar became Minister of Women’s Affairs and later head of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. Dr. Habiba Sarabi was appointed the first female provincial governor in 2005. Zarifa Ghafari, one of Afghanistan’s few female mayors, symbolized a new generation of leadership.

But in 2021, the Taliban returned to power. Women’s rights collapsed overnight—schools closed, jobs lost, freedoms stripped. What had been won was lost again.

Iraq

Though not directly linked to 9/11, the Bush administration argued that Saddam Hussein’s Iraq was pursuing weapons of mass destruction. In March 2003, the U.S. invaded.

The Duelfer Report and later the UK Chilcot Inquiry found no active WMD stockpiles, criticizing intelligence failures and the rush to war. Iraq remains fractured, its society scarred by invasion, insurgency, and the rise of ISIS.

Guantánamo Bay

To bypass U.S. courts, the Bush administration established a detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Since 2002, 780 men have been held there. Today, only 15 remain, after transfers to countries like Oman.

One case became emblematic: Omar Khadr, a Canadian captured at 15, spent years in Guantánamo before being repatriated. In 2017, Canada apologized and compensated him for its role in his mistreatment. His story remains a stark reminder of justice compromised.

The Official Story

The attacks were an al-Qaeda operation, enabled by U.S. intelligence failures. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Guantánamo, and the reshaping of American security architecture were all necessary responses to prevent further attacks. This view emphasizes vigilance, reforms, and resilience.

The Counter-Narrative

Skeptics argue that the Commission left too many questions unanswered. Why did Building 7 fall? Did foreign governments know more than they admitted? Was Iraq’s invasion a pretext wrapped in the trauma of 9/11? For this narrative, mistrust of institutions is as central as the attacks themselves.

The Silent Story

Beyond policy and politics are the human costs:

• Soldiers who cycled through multiple deployments.
• Afghan women who built new lives only to see them erased.
• Iraqis caught between invasion and insurgency.
• Families of nearly 3,000 victims still haunted by absences.

This is the quieter legacy—the scars on ordinary people, long after headlines fade.

9/11 and Today

The attacks still shape American politics. Every debate about surveillance, civil liberties, drone strikes, or overseas wars carries the shadow of 9/11. The backlash against “forever wars” helped drive the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and fuels today’s skepticism toward new interventions.

As the 24th anniversary is marked, Congress is reviewing whether the reforms of 2004 actually worked. The world, however, is still reckoning with what 9/11 began.

Key Takeaways

• Four hijacked planes killed nearly 3,000 people on 9/11; passengers on Flight 93 prevented an attack on the Capitol.
• The 9/11 Commission blamed al-Qaeda and U.S. intelligence failures, leading to sweeping reforms.
• Tucker Carlson has revived skepticism, pointing to unresolved questions.
• Afghanistan and Iraq wars reshaped geopolitics, with mixed outcomes and enormous costs.
• Guantánamo Bay remains a symbol of justice suspended—15 detainees remain.
• The attacks continue to shape politics, policy, and personal lives worldwide.

Questions This Article Answers

1. What exactly happened on September 11, 2001?
2. What did the 9/11 Commission conclude?
3. Why do alternative theories still attract followers?
4. How did 9/11 lead to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?
5. What is the legacy of Guantánamo Bay?
6. How does 9/11 still influence politics today?

Closing Reflection

The bronze names at Ground Zero shimmer with water that flows endlessly into two pools. For the families who trace those letters, there are no debates—only absence. For the rest of us, 9/11 remains a test: to remember, to question, and to resist letting violence define us again.