By A. Jathindra –

Twenty five years ago, the United States endured one of the darkest days in its history. On September 11, 2001, alQaeda terrorists led by Osama bin Laden hijacked four airliners. Three were flown into iconic targets—the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, and thousands more injured.

Two decades later, the Never Forget Fund, launched by 9/11 Memorial & Museum trustees Russell L. Carson, Kenneth I. Chenault, and Scott Rechler, secured $25 million in initial gifts to support education. “As our nation approaches the 25th anniversary of one of the darkest days in its history, we must redouble our efforts to ensure Americans never forget what happened on 9/11 and how we responded,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, Chairman of the Museum.

Yet bin Laden’s ideology continues to cast a shadow. His attempt to weaken the U.S. economy and drive American forces from the Middle East failed, but his message still inspires militants worldwide—calling for the killing of Americans and Westerners. ISIS, claiming to be alQaeda’s rival, has copied elements of bin Laden’s legacy, amplifying his narrative of global jihad. After a decade of relentless surveillance, bin Laden was killed in May 2011 by U.S. Navy SEALs in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Experts note that alQaeda remains a source of support and inspiration for extremist groups, particularly across Africa.

Bin Laden’s rise as an antiAmerican jihadist icon began during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, when he financed and supported mujahideen fighters. With U.S. backing, the Afghan resistance forced the Soviets out by 1989. Bin Laden then shifted alQaeda’s focus to opposing the West, particularly American troops in Saudi Arabia. He left Saudi Arabia for Sudan, later finding refuge in Talibancontrolled Afghanistan in 1996. In 1998, he issued a fatwa urging Muslims to kill Americans everywhere.

The story of bin Laden’s end raises difficult questions. The U.S. carried out a covert military mission deep inside Pakistan without informing Islamabad. Officials feared that if Pakistan’s intelligence service (ISI) had been notified, bin Laden might have escaped. The CIA had already staged raids without ISI coordination, including the 2003 capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), the 9/11 mastermind, in Rawalpindi—inside a military zone less than a mile from Pakistan’s Army Headquarters.

Bin Laden’s movements after fleeing Tora Bora in 2001 reveal a trail through Karachi, the Swat Valley, and eventually Abbottabad in 2005. His compound sat less than a mile from Pakistan’s elite Kakul Military Academy, raising the central mystery: as Bruce Riedel, a retired CIA officer, observed, how did the world’s most wanted man live undetected for six years in the shadow of Pakistan’s military?

Based on the so-called Abbottabad Commission Report, Riedel argued that alQaeda did not operate in Pakistan in a vacuum, but thrived because it had a friendly environment. Bin Laden’s allies included LashkareToiba leader Hafiz Saeed and Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar—both close to the ISI. The fact that America’s most wanted man found refuge in Pakistan underscores why the country has often been described as “the most dangerous place in the world” in terms of harbouring Islamic terrorism.

Abbottabad itself is symbolic. Just 30 miles north of Islamabad, along the historic Karakoram Highway, it is home to Pakistan’s premier military academy. For bin Laden to live there undetected is not simply a mystery—it is a reminder of the uncomfortable realities of counterterrorism: allies can be unreliable, and enemies can exploit sanctuaries hidden in plain sight.

The lesson is clear. To “Never Forget” means not only to honour the victims of September 11, but also to confront the uncomfortable truths about where bin Laden hid, how he was killed, and what his legacy still fuels. Commemoration without inquiry risks turning memory into ritual. True remembrance demands vigilance, accountability, and the courage to ask hard questions.

As America marks 25 years since 9/11, the story of Abbottabad must stand alongside the memory of that day. The attacks were the beginning; the pursuit and eventual elimination of bin Laden was the continuation. To overlook either is to distort the full memory of the struggle against terrorism. True remembrance demands more than ritual—it requires confronting the uncomfortable truths of where the mastermind hid, how he was found, and what his legacy still fuels. Memory must be whole, not selective. Only by holding the entire narrative—New York and Abbottabad, the victims and the pursuit—can “Never Forget” carry its full meaning.