Today marks 14 years since al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger planes and flew into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City and the Pentagon. Nearly 3,000 people died on that day, the events of which changed the course of history.
It launched the United States on a path of war for over a decade, invading Afghanistan in 2001 in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and Iraq in 2003. Here we look at the costs of the war in terms of human life:
Source: Watson Institute International and Public Affairs, Brown University
Since 9/11 there have been several terror strikes in the US, such as the Boston Marathon bombing. However, Islamist militants were not the biggest cause of terror related deaths.
Source: New America, a Washington-based research center
A snapshot:
- 3,70,000 people have died due to direct war violence
- 2,10,000 civilians killed as a result of the fighting at the hands of all parties in the conflict
- 6,900 US soldiers killed (Many deaths, injuries among US contractors not reported)
- 7.6 million no. of people displaced indefinitely and are living in grossly inadequate conditions
