‘The West inflicted many 9/11s in Iraq and Afghanistan’ says MLA

Saturday’s 20-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks on America was raised in the Assembly after it convened for its first full session since the summer recess yesterday.
By Adam Kula
Published 14th Sep 2021, 09:02 BST
9/119/11
9/11

Steve Aiken, the former UUP leader who was posted to the Middle East in the wake of 9/11 with the Royal Navy, made reference to the shift in attitudes towards terrorism among Americans after 9/11.

He said: “It is unfortunate that it took an attack of mass terrorism to achieve that recognition amongst some in the Irish-American community, but the recognition that terrorism, from no matter what source, is fundamentally wrong was made clear to the republican movement and the IRA and SF in particular.”

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Meanwhile People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said his thoughts and sympathies are with all the victims of 9/11, but he added that “in response to a terrible tragedy in New York, the neocons and new Labour, with its many backers – including some in the House – set the Middle East ablaze and created many more 9/11s in Kabul, Kandahar, Baghdad and Basra”.

He added that “the 20-year lesson from the war on terror should be that “liberal” or “humanitarian” intervention did not and cannot work”.

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Related topics:Steve AikenAfghanistanIraqLabourUUP