Biden marks 9/11 anniversary in Alaska, sparking backlash from Republicans

By Betul Yuruk

US President Joe Biden marked the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with a speech at a military base in Alaska on Monday on his way back from the G-20 Summit in India and a trip to Vietnam.

"I join you on this solemn day to renew our sacred vow: never forget," Biden said as he delivered remarks to service members in Anchorage.

''Ground zero New York. I remember standing there the next day and looking at the building. It felt like I was looking through the gates of hell.

''Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the Pentagon in Virginia, I spent many 9/11s in those hollowed grounds to bear witness and remember those we lost,'' he added.

Republicans criticized Biden for not participating in the commemorations in New York or at other sites that were attacked in 2001.

Biden addressed the criticism, saying these trips ''are an essential part of how we are going to ensure the United States is flanked by the broadest array of allies and partners who will stand with us and deter any threat to our security.''

On Sept. 11, four passenger airliners were hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists. Two planes were launched into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Another crashed into the Pentagon, the headquarters for the US Department of Defense in Washington, D.C. The last plane, Flight 93, went down in a Pennsylvania field after its passengers fought back against the hijackers.