U.S. Secretary of States Hillary Rodham Clinton today stressed that the United States will not rest until all those who were part of planning and facilitating the 9/11 attacks are similarly brought to justice.
At the Voices of September 11th Luncheon, Ms. Clinton said the reforms and the changes that the Americans have taken in United States in the last 10 years are due, in large measure, to the Voices of September 11th families.
“And many of you turned your grief into a commitment on behalf of those you lost and on behalf of the nation that mourned with you.” -Ms. Clinton
She noted that when the Voices of September 11th was founded, American carried through with their questions by being the catalyst behind the creation of the 9/11 Commission.
“It was family members who began poring over the details of skyscraper security, radio interoperability, government reform. And you didn’t take no for an answer, and for that, again, I am grateful.” -Ms. Clinton
She highlighted that work is not finished and there are still specific tasks coming out even 10 years later. She said the continuing need for medical care for those who were on the pile still need to be addressed.
“As we commemorate the opening of the memorial, we know that we still have work to do to bring all those who were part of attacking us to justice. But I can tell you it was a particular satisfaction for me, as a former senator of New York, to be in the team in the Obama Administration that made sure bin Ladin was brought to justice.” -Ms. Clinton
She stressed that the United States is disrupting cells and conspiracies. She pointed out that the United States is breaking down the bureaucratic silos inside the Executive Branch and working across the whole of government.
Ms. Clinton emphasized that the United States is engaged in a long-term struggle to face down and defeat the murderous ideology that continues to incite violence around the world.
“And while we will never give up our right to use military force as needed, we have to use every tool in our arsenal.” -Ms. Clinton
“I can tell you that the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development that are under my authority are working to blunt the drivers of extremism. We are putting a decade’s worth of lessons to work to launch targeted efforts to undermine terrorist recruitment.” -Ms. Clinton
Ms. Clinton noted that the U.S. government is working along with a coalition of other nations to choke off the illicit financing networks that pay for terrorist training camps, the propaganda and the operations. The U.S. government also is building the capacity of other nations to deal with terrorist threats that they face before they challenge the people of those countries or us.
“We are training thousands of police and anti-terrorism officials across the globe, and we are creating new forums for nations to deepen our counterterrorism cooperation.” -Ms. Clinton
She further stated that U.S. diplomats are out in the field and in cyberspace exposing al-Qaida’s hypocrisy and brutality, and the enormous toll it has inflicted, above all, on Muslims.
“And we want to make sure that every person understands that these violent extremists are not representing any religion. They are representing evil and nihilism, and they need to be stopped by all people.” -Ms. Clinton
She highlighted that the United States doesn’t just want to capture and kill terrorist leaders, it wants to make them irrelevant.
“We want to prevent them from attracting new recruits. We want to end the attraction they have for young people.” -Ms. Clinton
She underscored that there’s a need to remember what the American people are fighting for. She said the United States goal is not merely to defeat its enemies, but to represent the best of humanity, the values and traditions that are America at its core.
“Our struggle against terrorism is rooted in our strengths as a society, and one of those strengths is resilience. Resilience has been a theme of this organization.” -Ms. Clinton
