PM mourns TT citizens killed on 9/11, stands by US in fight against terror

PRIME MINISTER Kamla Persad-Bissessar has again committed to working shoulder-to-shoulder with the US and other international and regional partners to defeat terror threats.

In a news release on September 10, marking the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11, 2001, that claimed over 3,000 lives, she said, “We will remain vigilant and resilient, defending our people and our values without fear or hesitation.”

Persad-Bissessar also remembered the 14 Trinidad and Tobago citizens who died in the World Trade Center.

“Among the fallen were 14 of our own citizens, Trinbagonians who went to work that morning at the World Trade Center, never to return home. Their sacrifice is a painful reminder that terrorism recognises no borders, no creed, and no humanity.”

On that morning, terrorists took control of four planes flying over the eastern US.

They were then used as giant, guided missiles to crash into landmark buildings in New York, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

The fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. It is thought the hijackers had meant to attack Washington’s Capitol Building.

Persad-Bissessar said, “On this 24th anniversary, on behalf of the government and people of TT, I honour their memory, extend prayers to their families, and reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the people and government of the United States of America.”

Persad-Bissessar said terrorism now also takes the face of narco-trafficking, arms smuggling, and transnational organised crime.

The Donald Trump administration has deemed organised crime groups as terrorists.

On September 2, a lethal missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in international waters killed 11 suspected drug traffickers.

Following the strike, Persad-Bissessar pledged TT’s support, “The pain and suffering the cartels have inflicted on our nation is immense. I have no sympathy for traffickers; the US military should kill them all violently.”

On September 8, she rejected calls from Colombian Prime Minister Gustavo Petro to search for the bodies of the 11 dead alleged traffickers by reaffirming the war on traffickers.

She said, “I much prefer seeing drug and gun traffickers blown to pieces.”

The release said, “May the souls of the victims of September 11 rest in eternal peace. May God comfort their families, and may He continue to bless and protect TT, and all nations and peoples who have endured the inhumanity of terrorism, even as together we condemn its barbarism and commit ourselves to eradicating it from our world.”