9/9: WI 9/11 in 1997

How would the government (Bill Clinton in his second term, his cabinet; the Senate and the House of Representatives controlled by Republicans) handle the September 9 attacks? Also referred to as 9/9, these were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda on the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 9, 1997. The attacks consisted of suicide attacks used to target symbolic U.S. landmarks.

Four passenger airliners operated by two major U.S. passenger air carriers (United Airlines and American Airlines) – all of which departed from airports on the U.S. East Coast bound for California – were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists. Two of the planes crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. Within an hour and 42 minutes, both 110-story towers collapsed, with debris and the resulting fires causing partial or complete collapse of all other buildings in the World Trade Center complex, including the 47-story 7 World Trade Center tower, as well as significant damage to ten other large surrounding structures. A third plane was crashed into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense) in Arlington County, Virginia, leading to a partial collapse in the Pentagon’s western side. The fourth plane initially was steered toward Washington, D.C., but crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after its passengers tried to overcome the hijackers. In total, the attacks claimed the lives of 2,996 people (including the 19 hijackers) and caused at least $9 billion in property and infrastructure damage and $3 trillion in total costs. It was the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement officers in the history of the United States, with 343 and 72 killed respectively.


Please, accept a bit of a suspension of disbelief as I do not know what flights were active in 1997, nor how booked they were – which could have led to a different outcome.
 
How would the government (Bill Clinton in his second term, his cabinet; the Senate and the House of Representatives controlled by Republicans) handle the September 9 attacks? Also referred to as 9/9, these were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda on the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 9, 1997. The attacks consisted of suicide attacks used to target symbolic U.S. landmarks.

Four passenger airliners operated by two major U.S. passenger air carriers (United Airlines and American Airlines) – all of which departed from airports on the U.S. East Coast bound for California – were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists. Two of the planes crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. Within an hour and 42 minutes, both 110-story towers collapsed, with debris and the resulting fires causing partial or complete collapse of all other buildings in the World Trade Center complex, including the 47-story 7 World Trade Center tower, as well as significant damage to ten other large surrounding structures. A third plane was crashed into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense) in Arlington County, Virginia, leading to a partial collapse in the Pentagon’s western side. The fourth plane initially was steered toward Washington, D.C., but crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after its passengers tried to overcome the hijackers. In total, the attacks claimed the lives of 2,996 people (including the 19 hijackers) and caused at least $9 billion in property and infrastructure damage and $3 trillion in total costs. It was the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement officers in the history of the United States, with 343 and 72 killed respectively.


Please, accept a bit of a suspension of disbelief as I do not know what flights were active in 1997, nor how booked they were – which could have led to a different outcome.

So basically we have 9/11, just 4 years and 2 days earlier. Interesting. Will see what you will do with this scenario.

One should note that the Al-Qaeda was headquartered in Sudan at this point. Ultimately, this could result in the US attacking and deposing the Sudanese government instead of Afghanistan.
 

jahenders

Banned
So basically we have 9/11, just 4 years and 2 days earlier. Interesting. Will see what you will do with this scenario.

One should note that the Al-Qaeda was headquartered in Sudan at this point. Ultimately, this could result in the US attacking and deposing the Sudanese government instead of Afghanistan.

However, Osama was in AFghanistan since 1996 (though there were some concerns that he might be in Bosnia). So, I think it would still be Mullah Omar and the Taliban that we would say, "Turn this guy over to us, or else" to. Assuming that Bill Clinton does indeed issue such a demand, Omar likely still refuses and the US does something. Clinton would likely limit initial US involvement to supporting Northern Alliance-type forces, but the US would likely wind up more involved eventually. Despite Al Qaeda presence, support, and such elsewhere, Clinton just issues stern warnings to Sudan and Iraq. The US is involved in a ground war in Afghanistan when Clinton leaves office and the US patrols no-fly zones in Iraq for several more years.

A sad and angry US still passes something very much like the Patriot Act.
 
However, Osama was in AFghanistan since 1996 (though there were some concerns that he might be in Bosnia). So, I think it would still be Mullah Omar and the Taliban that we would say, "Turn this guy over to us, or else" to. Assuming that Bill Clinton does indeed issue such a demand, Omar likely still refuses and the US does something. Clinton would likely limit initial US involvement to supporting Northern Alliance-type forces, but the US would likely wind up more involved eventually. Despite Al Qaeda presence, support, and such elsewhere, Clinton just issues stern warnings to Sudan and Iraq. The US is involved in a ground war in Afghanistan when Clinton leaves office and the US patrols no-fly zones in Iraq for several more years.

A sad and angry US still passes something very much like the Patriot Act.

I think that Clinton would respond with a total invasion of Afghanistan much like OTL. Keep in mind that the terrorists have just killed an estimated 3,000 American citizens in the deadliest attack on the United States since Pearl Harbor. Keep in mind that he had already drawn up US invasion plans of Afghanistan in 2000 on the grounds of a "humanitarian intervention." Please note that was in lieu of an actual attack upon the United States.

http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a1200pentagonplan#a1200pentagonplan
 
Top