The US and other nations of the world face a long-term struggle against the “murderous ideology” of terrorism that has claimed innocent lives from London to Mumbai, and have to ensure that terrorists are made “irrelevant”, said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Addressing a gathering at a ‘Voices of September 11th’ event, Hillary said even though the US has “thankfully” not witnessed another terror attack following 9/11, terrorists continue to take lives in countries across the world.
“Even though the United States, thankfully, has not experienced another attack since 9/11, London has, Madrid has, Mumbai has, Islamabad has, Jakarta, Bali – other places continue to be attacked.”
US diplomats are out in the field and in cyberspace exposing al Qaeda’s hypocrisy and brutality and the enormous toll it has inflicted on Muslims, Hillary said.
These violent extremists are not representing any religion, but are representing “evil and nihilism”, and they need to be stopped by all people, she said.
The US state department is working with a coalition of other nations to choke off the illicit financing networks that pay for terrorist training camps, propaganda and operations. The US is helping build capacities of other nations to deal with terrorist threats, besides training thousands of police and anti-terrorism officials across the globe, Hillary added.
“We are creating new forums for nations to deepen our counterterrorism cooperation”.
Progress has been made but the terror threats in New York and Washington in the run up to the 9/11 anniversary are “one more reminder that we still face danger and we have to stay vigilant”.
“We have to keep our eye on what we are fighting against, but we also have to remember what we are fighting for”.
Hillary had earlier in the day visited the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Centre site, terming it a place that helps people to reflect, remember and be close to their loved ones.
