Kosovo’s institutional and political leaders paid tribute on Friday at the “Kosovo Remembers” memorial in Prishtina, honoring the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people.
Acting President Albulena Haxhiu and Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti laid flowers at the memorial, marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
Haxhiu said the people of Kosovo experienced the tragedy of September 11 with a particular sense of closeness. She said the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York were perceived in Kosovo as an assault on freedom, democracy and human dignity—values that, according to her, had also been at the foundation of American support for Kosovo.
“Some citizens of Kosovo even went to the U.S. office in Prishtina and volunteered to fight alongside American soldiers. It was an extraordinary and spontaneous reaction that showed how deeply Kosovo felt America’s pain,” Haxhiu said.
Kurti described September 11 as one of the most devastating attacks against democratic values. He noted that 2,977 people were killed on the day of the attacks, while thousands more have died from illnesses and complications linked to September 11 in the years since.
Opposition leaders also paid tribute to the victims and reaffirmed Kosovo’s close relationship with the United States.
PDK leader Bedri Hamza expressed respect for those who lost their lives and gratitude for the partnership between Kosovo and the United States, stressing that Kosovo would remain alongside America both in moments of joy and in times of grief.
LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku said the attacks were not only an assault on the United States but also a brutal challenge to the fundamental values of democratic society, including freedom, peace and coexistence.
Alliance leader Ardian Gjini said September 11 remains an open wound for the democratic world but also represents a moment that demonstrated the strength and unity of those who stand against terrorism. He reaffirmed that Kosovo and its citizens would always stand alongside their “greatest and strategic ally,” describing Kosovo’s friendship with America as “eternal and unwavering.”
The Kosovo Security Force (KSF) also honored the victims. Flags were flown at half-mast at all KSF barracks across the country as a symbolic gesture of solidarity with the American people, the victims’ families and those who continue to suffer the consequences of the attacks.
The September 11 attacks remain one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in modern history. On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger planes. Two crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York, another struck the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., while the fourth, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control of the aircraft.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed and thousands more were injured. The attacks prompted the United States to launch its global War on Terror and begin military operations in Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda’s leadership was based.
