US President Barack Obama on Tuesday paid tribute to those killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, noting at a ceremony at the Pentagon that although 11 years had passed the pain remained fresh for the victims' families, reported dpa.
"Eleven times we have marked another September 11 come and gone. Eleven times we have paused in remembrance and reflection, in unity and purpose. This is never an easy day but is especially difficult for all of you," he said to family members gathered at the memorial where a plane slammed into the heart of US military power.
The world had changed because of the nearly 3,000 people killed at the World Trade Center in New York, at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania, he said, pointing to the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the war in Afghanistan.
"Most had never heard the name al-Qaeda. And yet it's because of their sacrifice that we've come together and dealt a crippling blow to the organization that brought evil to our shores," he said. "Al-Qaeda's leadership has been devastated, and Osama bin Laden will never threaten us again."