9/11 ‘War On Terror’: 20 Years On, Mounting Deaths And Continuing Terror
The so-called “War On terror” initiated by the United States has led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan. On September 11, 2001 at 8:46 AM, American Airlines Flight 11 was crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre (WTC). 45 minutes after this, another plane was crashed into the other tower, completely destroying the building. Around 3,000 people were confirmed dead by that evening. Recently, two more victims of the attacks were discovered and confirmed by U.S. officials.
Americans may not have known at the time that the attack would inaugurate a protracted conflict that would not only tarnish the United States’ image and reputation in the world, but would also unleash a cascade of destruction upon other countries in the name of the “War On Terror”. The decades-old armed conflicts have cost many more civilian and American military lives than those lost in the terror attack on the WTC. In fact, the term “collateral damage” made infamous during the Iraq war signifies the callousness and expendability of human lives in this conflict worldwide. Although it is impossible to know precisely how many people were killed or died during American military campaigns, Brown University’s Watson International Centre For International And Public Affairs has released a new report which states that the total toll including all groups: armed forces, contractors, civilians, journalists, and social/humanitarian workers, comes to nearly 900,000 people. The Watson Institute has compiled this information on the basis of data from the U.S. Department of Defence, United Nations, and reports of governments and journalists in Iraq and Afghanistan. The maximum casualties in the wars post 9/11 have been that of civilians. The actions of opposition fighters, local militaries, and U.S. and allied forces led toa total of 360,000 to 387,000 deaths. Besides, 680 journalists and 892 workers in governmental/official bodies also lost their lives in various conflicts. The report states that U.S. military actions in various countries after the 9/11 attacks caused the deaths of more than 7,000 of its soldiers. 2,324 military personnel died in Afghanistan and 4,598 in Iraq during two American campaigns in the country. Stephanie Savelle, Assistant Director of The Cost Of War project, says that "People don't necessarily know about the mental trauma that goes along with such a long war” She pointed to a research that estimated that 30,177 American soldiers committed suicide, which is four times more than the number of those who died in war. In the Cost Of War report, it is stated that the maximum number of civilians died in the Iraq War: 185,000 to 208,000. In Syria this number was 95,000 and 46,000 and in Afghanistan, the civilian deaths caused by the “War On Terror” tallied up to 46,000. These figures leave us wondering, quite objectively, as to which actions “terrorized” more people: those of the Al-Qaeda terrorists or the subsequent actions of the U.S. and allied militaries? These numbers may seem shocking, but experts have pointed out that the Vienam Warl ed to the deaths of over 2 million non-combatants, including civilians, journalists, and social workers. After this, 266,000 non-combatants were killed in Syria, 112,000 in Yemen, and 176,000 in Afghanistan. Now, if we talk about the financial and economic costs of the wars fought under the umbrella of “The War On Terror”, we find that between 2001 to 2022, the U.S. has spent a total of $8 trillion. This includes medical costs, and procuring, managing, and maintaining military equipment. As of the financial year 2022, The U.S. has spent a total of $5,843 billion or $5.8 trillion under these heads. Of this, an estimated $2,200 or $2.2 trillion has been allocated to the future care of war veterans between 2022-50. "Our work pushes people to ask questions that they don't normally ask about war in general and the post-9/11 wars in particular, like, 'Is it worth it? Is the U.S. meeting its goals, protecting Americans and protecting others around the world?'" Savell says. "And if it's not, then we should be thinking about how to take a different approach."
Americans may not have known at the time that the attack would inaugurate a protracted conflict that would not only tarnish the United States’ image and reputation in the world, but would also unleash a cascade of destruction upon other countries in the name of the “War On Terror”. The decades-old armed conflicts have cost many more civilian and American military lives than those lost in the terror attack on the WTC. In fact, the term “collateral damage” made infamous during the Iraq war signifies the callousness and expendability of human lives in this conflict worldwide. Although it is impossible to know precisely how many people were killed or died during American military campaigns, Brown University’s Watson International Centre For International And Public Affairs has released a new report which states that the total toll including all groups: armed forces, contractors, civilians, journalists, and social/humanitarian workers, comes to nearly 900,000 people. The Watson Institute has compiled this information on the basis of data from the U.S. Department of Defence, United Nations, and reports of governments and journalists in Iraq and Afghanistan. The maximum casualties in the wars post 9/11 have been that of civilians. The actions of opposition fighters, local militaries, and U.S. and allied forces led toa total of 360,000 to 387,000 deaths. Besides, 680 journalists and 892 workers in governmental/official bodies also lost their lives in various conflicts. The report states that U.S. military actions in various countries after the 9/11 attacks caused the deaths of more than 7,000 of its soldiers. 2,324 military personnel died in Afghanistan and 4,598 in Iraq during two American campaigns in the country. Stephanie Savelle, Assistant Director of The Cost Of War project, says that "People don't necessarily know about the mental trauma that goes along with such a long war” She pointed to a research that estimated that 30,177 American soldiers committed suicide, which is four times more than the number of those who died in war. In the Cost Of War report, it is stated that the maximum number of civilians died in the Iraq War: 185,000 to 208,000. In Syria this number was 95,000 and 46,000 and in Afghanistan, the civilian deaths caused by the “War On Terror” tallied up to 46,000. These figures leave us wondering, quite objectively, as to which actions “terrorized” more people: those of the Al-Qaeda terrorists or the subsequent actions of the U.S. and allied militaries? These numbers may seem shocking, but experts have pointed out that the Vienam Warl ed to the deaths of over 2 million non-combatants, including civilians, journalists, and social workers. After this, 266,000 non-combatants were killed in Syria, 112,000 in Yemen, and 176,000 in Afghanistan. Now, if we talk about the financial and economic costs of the wars fought under the umbrella of “The War On Terror”, we find that between 2001 to 2022, the U.S. has spent a total of $8 trillion. This includes medical costs, and procuring, managing, and maintaining military equipment. As of the financial year 2022, The U.S. has spent a total of $5,843 billion or $5.8 trillion under these heads. Of this, an estimated $2,200 or $2.2 trillion has been allocated to the future care of war veterans between 2022-50. "Our work pushes people to ask questions that they don't normally ask about war in general and the post-9/11 wars in particular, like, 'Is it worth it? Is the U.S. meeting its goals, protecting Americans and protecting others around the world?'" Savell says. "And if it's not, then we should be thinking about how to take a different approach."
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