9/11 attacks: George W. Bush to the Taliban, where are they now
George Washington Bush was the President of United States when 9/11 attacks took place. The President was informed of the attacks in front of the cameras when he was reading The Pet Goat to second-graders in Sarasota, Florida. His aide told him about 9/11 attacks when television cameras were rolling.
On September 11, 2001, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists had hijacked four flights and carried out coordinated suicide attacks against the targets in the United States. Two of the planes were crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, third plane hit the Pentagon office, just outside Washington DC, while the fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The biggest terror attack in history triggered major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defined the presidency of George Bush. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Main characters in 9/11
George Washington Bush on September 11, 2001
George Washington Bush was the President of United States when 9/11 attacks took place. The President was informed of the attacks in front of the cameras when he was reading The Pet Goat to second-graders in Sarasota, Florida. His aide told him about 9/11 attacks when television cameras were rolling.
Bush reached ground zero on the third day of attacks and had declared war against terrorism in a powerful speech. “I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon,” he said in the bullhorn at Ground Zero amid patriotic chants by those around him.
The US had then launched attacks on Afghanistan to oust the Taliban and hunt down Bin Laden.
After 9/11 and 2008:
Bush retired in 2008 as Republicans lost the US elections in 2008. His administration was unsuccessful in capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden in next seven years of 9/11 attacks.
US vice president Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce Cheney was the vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under George W. Bush. After the 9/11 attacks, the former US vice president Dick Cheney was put in a bunker inside the White House where he helped direct the government’s actions as President Bush was being shuttled to military bases in Louisiana and Nebraska amid fears over more attacks.
After he left office, Cheney reportedly had five heart attacks and underwent a heart transplant in 2012. Cheney hit the headlines after he criticised former president Trump and was sidelined by the Republican Party.
Osama Bin Laden
Osaman Bin Laden had orchestrated the 9/11 attacks. He initially denied involvement, but later recanted his false statements. Bin Laden had personally directed his followers to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Later, in November 2001, U.S. forces recovered a videotape from a destroyed house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. In the video, bin Laden is seen admitting foreknowledge of the attacks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tSy2Qi8mr0
US Killed him in 2011 in Pakistan
After a 10-year manhunt, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that bin Laden was killed by American special forces in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 1, 2011.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed admitted his involvement in the 9/11 attacks, along with Ramzi bin al-Shibh in April 2002. He was the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks. The 2004 9/11 Commission Report determined that hostility towards the United States felt by Mohammed, stemmed from his violent disagreement with U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel.
Arrested on March 1, 2003
Mohammed was arrested on March 1, 2003, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, by Pakistani security officials working with the CIA. He was then held at multiple CIA secret prisons and Guantanamo Bay. However, during U.S. hearings at Guantanamo Bay in March 2007, Mohammed again confessed that he was responsible for the 9/11 operation from A to Z.
However, the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four other alleged conspirators, resumed Tuesday.
India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka.
According to the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, Trivedi sought PM Modi’s guidance on further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh through a constructive and people-centric approach.
The meeting came a day after Trivedi held discussions with Tarique Rahman on matters of mutual interest and ways to advance ties between the two neighbouring countries.
Dinesh Trivedi Meets Bangladesh PM
During his meeting with Tarique Rahman on Monday, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Modi and reiterated India’s commitment to working with the Bangladeshi administration and its people in a positive, constructive and forward-looking manner.
The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest and explored avenues for strengthening India-Bangladesh relations with a people-centric approach.
The engagement took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Trivedi also shared his experience of serving in Dhaka over the previous two months.
Sheikh Hasina Extradition Request
The meeting assumed significance as Bangladesh has expressed hope that India will expedite the extradition process involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted following a student-led uprising in 2024.
According to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office, Dhaka also reiterated its request for India to return individuals it alleges were involved in the killing of Shahid Osman Hadi, a prominent figure associated with the July uprising who was shot on December 12, 2025.
Tarique Rahman stressed the need to create a suitable environment to take forward relations between Bangladesh and India.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other officials attended the meeting.
India-Bangladesh Ties Amid Diplomatic Friction
The latest high-level engagements come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries following a virtual press interaction by Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5.
The event, organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia to mark the second anniversary of her ouster, prompted strong objections from Dhaka.
During the interaction, Hasina said she remained determined to return to Bangladesh in December and restore democracy, while acknowledging the possibility of imprisonment or a death sentence upon her return.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently registered a strong protest and said the development had affected public sentiment and complicated efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
India has said the government had no involvement in the event. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it was organised by a private media entity and clarified that New Delhi did not endorse views expressed at the forum.
Trump, PM Modi will resolve tariff issue over Russian oil trade, says US official
White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue over US tariff threats linked to India’s Russian oil trade.
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue surrounding the threat of US tariffs linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said on Tuesday.
Navarro’s remarks came days after the US Senate passed a bill authorising the US President to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five purchasers of Russian oil. The measure argues that such purchases directly contribute to financing Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Navarro comments on India’s Russian oil trade
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Navarro said India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia before the Ukraine war began in 2022.
He alleged that India became heavily involved in the trade after Russia’s invasion and sold refined products on behalf of Russia, which he said helped support the Russian war effort.
“Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia, but afterwards it got heavily involved,” Navarro said.
The White House adviser also claimed that the issue had since been resolved and attributed some of the shift in India’s Russian oil trade to an opinion article he recently wrote in the Financial Times.
Trump and Modi will resolve issue, Navarro says
Navarro said the relationship between Trump and Modi would help address the tariff-related issue.
“The president and your prime minister have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves,” he said, adding that it was not his place to intervene.
His comments come amid US concerns over countries purchasing Russian oil and proposed measures aimed at imposing additional tariffs on major buyers.
The US Senate has approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that could allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, including India and China.
The legislation was passed by an 86-11 vote and will now move to the US House of Representatives, which is scheduled to reconvene on August 31.
The bill is named in honour of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Ukraine who died on July 11. Graham had pushed for tougher sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.
India and China among major Russian energy buyers
The legislation gives the US president the power to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas.
India and China are among those countries, along with Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia.
The bill also contains an exception for countries importing less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian supplies.
What does the Russia sanctions bill contain?
Apart from the proposed tariffs, the legislation includes sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian political and military officials, financial institutions and energy projects.
The bill would also expand US sanctions to older and reflagged oil tankers allegedly used by Moscow to bypass existing restrictions on Russian oil and energy revenues.
At the same time, the White House would have the option to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest.
Bill also extends Iran sanctions law
The legislation also contains a provision related to Iran. It would extend the expiration date of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until 2031.
The law penalises companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.
The bill’s passage in the Senate marks the next step in the US legislative process, but it still needs approval from the House of Representatives before it can move forward.
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