outside of the room and then allowing some of them to go back home and they would go home and tell people, this is what the americans we know and look it up. it was a pointless exercise of smell that smell like i mean i don't, i can only describe it as metal and flesh. i was angry because excuse me, 2 decades on from the was terror attack in modern history that will commemorate those who died in 911 on the 20th anniversary were told to those who suffered from the event that its aftermath or in depth investigation that says a collateral damage of the american war on terror through death. drone attacks and torture. we speak to former guantanamo detainees, about the horrors inflicted on them. i was begging to go to one tunnel

because what i've seen and witness in background was so destructive to this day. i haven't, i want to sleep. i did give 10 months to 25 days on. this is america's legacy. this, for the sabotage, the country bought a ruined steel in control of the tallow. by 20 years later, america, fleas, i've got to stand in disgrace of fate. as a correspondence describes the war on terror failed to achieve any of its claim goals. instead, leaving behind the trail of destruction, afghans give us their verdict. so the us invasion in $34.00 provinces of afghanistan and there was peace. 20 years ago, it was a war by the u. s. economic gain. the americans came to have ganesh dad because they wanted to exploit our rece horses for people like us became their slaves. and

when they left, they took everything wisdom. ah, there were a good evening from moscow this saturday september, the 11th 2021 you watching are to international with me, kevin. and as you probably know, today marks the 20th anniversary of the worst terror attack in modern history. when us planes were hijacked and flowed into the twin towers of the world trade center in new york, claiming the lives of almost 3000 people. well, let's talk life next to arctic callum open. keeping across the developments in new york city for us, as well as the mortality of who's in the africa and capital kabul calla. first. here for me as a solemn day for the whole of america or a new york city in particular. can you describe a little of the atmosphere that in the last few hours?

sure, it's been a morning of grief and commemoration. we've heard from elected officials in the united states, former presidents as well as victims families, describing the trauma of what happened 20 years ago. very solemn ceremony. but it comes at a point where the administration of joe biden is being widely question for his recent decisions regarding afghanistan, about how responsible it is and carrying out u. s. foreign policy. now when we heard from president joe biden, as well as from vice president common harris, they emphasized a very common trope that we've heard from us leaders. when commemorating the $911.00 events, they called for unity. here's what they said, my hope and prayer that we continue to honor their unity by strengthening our common bond by strengthening our global partnership. and by

always living out our highest ideals, we saw a national unity been and we learned that unit is the one thing that must never break use. what makes us who we are, america is best now the national unity may have been the emphasis of the remarks that we heard from the president and vice president, but that is not the situation today. there is not solid unity around the decisions we've seen from the administration. at this point, we have republicans in congress calling for jo biden's impeachment for miss handling this situation on afghanistan, saying that the, the aspirations of the united states, what they wage the war on terror for, has been abandoned and betrayed, quite harsh words. here's what jo biden's critics among the republican party are

saying. president biden said that they wanted to take this afghanistan off the plate for future presidents. he's done the exact opposite for the next 20 years. american presidents will be dealing with this catastrophe and ask dana, stan, we call upon most somberly the resignation of this president joe biden build the case, start doing the work and figure out how to get this done and impeach joe biden. joe biden deserves to be in peach for a higher crime and misdemeanor of dereliction of duty. now at this point, it's not only republicans that are raising these concerns. the u. s. secretary of defense, i said that the top concern of the united states when it comes to afghanistan is the possibility that afghanistan could, once again become a foreign base from which terrorism could be exported to the united states. and it's important to note that the taliban were long considered to be terrorist by the united states will be in power in afghan,

a stand. they are in control of the country. and furthermore, the isis k terrorists, infamous for their recent bombing. they seem to be operating within the country as well. so it's been 20 years since 91120 years of the war on terror. we have many americans watching the commemorations that are happening and wondering, was it all worth it? did we achieve what we set out to achieve? did it all just go to waste what we've been doing for the past 20 years? for i, let's go to maria gas. they have enough canister, senior, corresponding campbell at home, or the non 11 to tech said emotion. a tragic chapter in africa and history has been well documented. can you take us through america's war on terror and consequences for africans? well as for the, the consequences over the past 20 minutes or so. we have seen numerous fireworks launched over cardboard. so somebody is pap celebrating america's tragedy here,

and it just rubs it in. rob said it after everything that has happened after 20 years of war and what is being described as abject failure of united states policy here and united states objectives. here we have got to start. there are those who are celebrating 911 again. we have seen multiple fireworks. also over the last several days, the taliban has announced the new government with, with many of the officials nominated by the taliban to lead this new a slamming emerett of of got us thought they were former guantanamo inmates there for what autumn, a inmates as well as other people who have bounties, who have american balances on their heads, many people more than a dozen and international terrorists. the taliban has obviously felt emboldened by

military success. how quickly it took over the country. it has made no compromise in, in its it's rose the for the new government. so there was speculation that perhaps the taliban would include minorities would include women and it's new governments as a get a compromise to the west west and the months. no such thing. what we're seeing is a government that was in power. on the day before the us invaded, i the cities, the same organization, though i must say, a different shade. i've tell about it, he's very desperate here in the, in capital all over. i've got to start there is tremendous. poverty varies hunger. now that the taliban has come to power. the west especially has cut it off from humanitarian aid, from, from financing with the afghan funds and western bags. thousands of people around in the street here and capital with their families, begging for food. they won't work. they bought deployment,

but there is none to be had. the call to me here is in, in an incredibly sorry state. so i've got to start suddenly as on the brink of a humanitarian disaster, and that, that on top of a country that has been destroyed, wrecked, and many parts of it obliterated, obliterated to the point that it will take decades to recover, to recover and to rebuild as i report in my package in 2001 i began with with the largest and pub, invade of the start to fight for freedom to fight terrorism and make the world a better place. 19 years, 10 months and $25.00 days on. this is america's legacy. they're stronger than sabotaged equipment. i country bought a ruined and still in control of the tallow, but that is the ultimate tragedy of the afghan war at was entirely and violently

pointless. years and years of an obliging little questioning media. fooled billions into believing that there was progress that america could win to victory or the taliban to taliban fled to the end of the taliban. taliban leadership on the run. and now the question is, how do you handle that success? ah, with it wasn't supposed to be this way. the taliban wasn't supposed to sweep the country in me a weeks. the pentagon spent a decade preparing to leave of got to start. and even though they weren't ready for this, together with our allies, we will complete our mission there. by the end of this year, i announced a timeline for drawing down our forces. we are working to finally end america as

longest war, and it's time to end forever. more the america's proudest movement of the afghan war wasn't supposed to be a humiliating evacuation under the guns of the taliban. but it was there is absolutely nothing else to celebrate. the united states ended 20 years of war and can stand the longest war in american history. we completed one of the biggest air left in history with more than 120000 people evacuated to safety. no nation, no nation has ever done anything like it in all history. the only the united states

had the capacity in the world and believe you to do it and we did it today. where was the afghan army? where was the west and back government? where did all the money go? the united states sank more than a $100000000000.00 into rebuilding of data stock for reference adjusted for inflation. that is more that the united states spent on the marshall plan to rebuild europe after world war 2. and the tragedy of it is that for a civilian the side from all the american weapons of the taliban pads, berries almost no evidence that any of that money ever passed through here from broken roads that lead to nowhere to abandon the hospital from twisted contractors and corrupt leaders, again, this dawn could arguably be called the largest money laundering operation in human history. the united states is also committed to playing

a leading role in the reconstruction of afghanistan. ah, in i fatality and now has more black hawk helicopters and 85 percent of countries in the world. me and i still exist in our growing stand and eventually they enquire me these went me

ah, the we now have americans stuck in africa. the taliban in charge with moat more weaponry than they've ever had in the past. and a border that is doing the taliban now controls more of the country than it did before . the us invaded its new government the field with what dynamo, bay, inmates, and terrorist merger dean who even have american bounties on their heads. what washington achieved was the absolute opposite of what it intended. bombing at campbell airport during the evacuation epitomized the afghan war, a senseless act, devoid of reason, which needlessly cut short so many lives. we will not forgive.

we will not forget. we will hunt you down to make you pay. we've heard the same promise before 20 years ago when america was united and when it thought that it could change the world when it thought it was invincible. and when the people believed a president's promise more, i guess if he couple of get this done, we spoke to people in the capital following the pending and withdrawal and discovered how 20 years of occupation of taken their toll. when i was at school, i said my targets in live, but unfortunately now it looks like, oh my dreams have vanished much, i can achieve those goals. and we're worried about our studies and the prospect of finding work. many of my classmates have lots of dentist who missed them a lot. i still hope to regain some kind of normal live ago, but looks difficult. in 34 provinces of afghanistan on there was peace 20 years ago

. it was a war by the us economic gain. we have won our freedom by sacrifice in the blood of many people, the countries by contract. now, the americans came to ganeth stand because they wanted to exploit our resources. they brought their allies with them, for people like us became their slaves. and when they left, they took everything. wisdom. look what they did to our airport. in the last 20 years, a lot of money has flowed into afghanistan, but not to all people. members of the lead class built up their properties and businesses. ordinary people got nothing. you're an employee for a company these days was not a witness to those who render attacks. and remember that day with a shiver, he ran onto the street to new york city with his video camera, but then after the 1st plane hit. but for all these years, he's not been able. he says to watch the video of his footage until the day of our interview

the i knew something was terribly wrong and i immediately wanted to get out there. and for some reason i, i wanted to grab my camera, put on my skates, and i, by the time i got my skates on this one of the towers had fallen already, and i was just so unbelievable. and so i, i ran outside and they were already crowds of people outside gathering. i just felt i needed to, i wanted to document that i wanted to to be able to, to see it, you know, and, and it's funny that because i did shoot some video and i couldn't look at it later . i, i never looked at it. i put it in a box and i just put it away. the 1st thing i remember was a commercial airline. i had flown overhead and

everybody just screamed and thought it was coming down also. and everybody sort of ran for cover. and then you could see people with ash on them and they were just walking with just the last 4 eyes. and i was just very unbelievable. and then you saw the plume of smoke that was once like the towers and you looked at that and you just couldn't believe that that that skyline was gone. i think everybody was just in disbelief at the time. i remember the smell that came over the, the city. it was this horrible smell that smell like, i mean, i don't, i can only describe it as metal and flesh and it was so strong that you can taste it in your mouth. and we were all wondering if we were going to get 6 on this

. the side doesn't seem like 20 years ago. all the sudden and yeah, you think you lose these emotions and, and they just seems there's always there somewhere and they and they come up. you know, i think about it, i think about my friends who've off their family, their friends, i know a lot of people that have lost loved ones and it was just a cons. funeral basically puts name after name after name of people who died. and we saw their life stories on tv, and it was just never ending funeral in new york for a law. the media was constantly bombarding us days later with the message that we

should live our lives. like normal to show that we eat this. but i was angry wait power, excuse me. i was angry because of people saying we're in big white houses for a lot of security. and they were saying to go with our lives and we had to walk around and we were afraid to go in public places like times square. we just never knew what was going to happen at that point. and i remember, you know, think, and i'm going to bring my son into the world, you know, what kind of world is going to be and,

and that scared me. john burns reliving what he saw 1st. there. the 911 tragedy led to the american war on terror and invasion of afghanistan and now with the us troops out of the country, continues to scrutinize the risk impact that campaigns of the lives of civilians and soldiers alike, in especial series of reports called unheard voices we tell you the stories of those directly affected by the longer in conflict, including one of the men who went through the terrors of the guantanamo bay prison . the will use all tools at our disposal. killed our children for united states was bringing people to watch a sight. it was a pointless exercise. 53 year old was a beg, lives in britain, works for a prison rights organization these days and doesn't look like somebody has lived through the experience of america's worst prison practices. but he knows about that

all too well. i had to stop telling myself that i'm the father, that i am my son. i'm a husband that i'm a human being. i started to call myself what i had been told and i was, and that was my number 558. that was my number. and i in was in may 2002. i was interrogated by the c i and the f, b i and they threatened if i did not corporate to send me either to egypt or serious to be tortured with us. are you with the enemy? there's no in between and that doctor still stay on the line. i

think it's quite clear to me that the united states response to the terrible depth of 911 was vengeance. the war on terror is not a police operation. it's a military operation. why they pick from me, it wasn't just me. they picked on everyone who knows. if anybody prepared to hand you over to conflict, talk to you the percentage and the bill of rights and i'm my parents and i'm a deal national. they handed me over to the americans without any legal possible for i was held for a year in 2002 to 2003. and i saw 2 individuals beaten to death by american soldiers. these terrorists played by a whole set of different rules. it's going to force us in your words to get mean 30

nasty in order to take them. i will use all tools at our disposal to do so. the boys a few bad apples. isolated incidents, one by one, the terrorists are learning the meaning of american justice. to me, this place pit demise. what the united states was doing. after that, they were bringing people to this torture site afghans 40 afghans and abusing them outside of the rule of law, and then allowing some of them to go back home. and they would go home and tell people, this is what the americans did. by the time i got to guantanamo, i was begging to go to turn on because what i've seen and witnessed in the background was so destructive to this day i haven't, i can't sleep ah. ready

ah, several of us since one time and several taliban members who now heads of various departments in the act and government were tortured. we were stripped, we were beaten with spat upon. we were humiliated photographs. this was taken during this period of time. they had a, they found a woman in the next room that led me to believe was my wife being tortured. they weighed with the picture of my children in front of me and asked me where do you think they are now, what do you think happens when you took your way? and of course, what they wanted me to do was cosign a confession that i was a member of al qaeda, which i was not. and this was, i'd say, stand it. i got it. i think i got it's better than a lot of the other prison. ah, ah, i me,

ah, so this is the handmade calendar that i made when i was in town and i thought that perhaps if i counted the days that it will be easier. but when the days turn into weeks and months, and then 2 years, i realize that it was just futile. when i received such letters from my children who are very young at the time, it's actually made it worse to look at the calendar and start to count down the days my children growing up without me. and every day, without them, with a stab in the heart. and they would come sporadically, they had to be vetted uncensored by the u. s. censorship. my daughter who was 6 at the time, wrote a poem, 12345. once i caught a fish alive and a redacted that because they said that has numbers in a numbers could mean some sort of

a code. so it was that kind of nonsensical reduction disconnecting from the idea of being a father. ironically and sadly, but also my own personal faith, my belief in god my reading, the koran, and again on expectedly, becoming friends with several of the american soldiers who would bring me little snippets of information. sometime next week in a chocolate. sometime maybe we can a dvd player and show me a film, lexus, humanity that i have never forgotten to this day. and i think i left guantanamo not hating america because of those soldiers, me messages directly from some american soldiers who say that this has been a, a war that has destroyed us as individuals. soldiers, i suppose,

to told you that they cannot sleep at night. so i am in no doubt about the, the effects of this war, not just on the individuals, but on the nation as a whole of whom the soldiers representative me, has gone to the shop and unity types were destroyed. the united states produced a senate report on torture, but not a single person was ever bought for charges for these kind. recently, i gave evidence the international criminal court for their investigations of abuses by americans. enough. they would investigate to the united states, the national army, and the taliban. the only ones who responded by threatening the international court was the united states of america. they said that we will sanction all members of the international court. we will arrest any members of the icpc who come to the usa

or elsewhere that want to investigate us. i think the united states of america needs to step back if it wants to help any of any assistance to the people who understand it's got in a position to negotiate those conditions. it has, it has been an aggressive taliban already made gestures towards russia to its china, to the wrong, to pakistan, to within the an easier with the united states and britain in particular. i think that feeling very upset because this is a defeat. it's a military defeat. however, you want to look at it and that imperial hubris, as it were, will not allow them to say that we need to move forward and continue within negotiations that we began in doha, that they cannot be any more saber rattling. it's no good for the african people. it's no good. i've got to start with a britain or america. you've really got to find a way for washing

bag talking to us. we got more 1st time stories from people lives were forever changed by america's longest. for in a special series that continues is code is called on heard voices, you can find it on it and online and talking of online for more perspective on 911, on the aftermath head to dot com for analysis and opinion by those on the front lines including appointment to come to by a former marine corps intelligence are perceived from 2 decades of lessons. not learned to get it is r t dot com. but for now, here in moscow at our t h q, this saturday evening, the 11th of september. my name is kevin, thank you for watching program.