The World Trade Center and United States Pentagon were attacked by Islamist terrorists in 2001.

In a strike on American territory comparable only to the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor, terrorists used hijacked airplanes to attack the Pentagon and World Trade Center buildings, and like the day of the Pearl Harbor attacks, “9/11” has become known worldwide as yet another “Day of Infamy.” Early on that Tuesday morning, members of the Islamist terrorist organization Al Qaeda commandeered four U.S. domestic aircraft, each full of fuel for a transcontinental flight, taking control of the cockpits and altering their courses. Using the aircraft as crude but effective missiles, the terrorists flew one into each of the two World Trade Center towers and a third into the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, the Pentagon building. The strikes destroyed both World Trade Center towers entirely and caused massive damage to a section of the Pentagon. Owing to the efforts of passengers who had been alerted to these events via cell phone, the fourth plane was forced to crash in rural Pennsylvania before it could reach its intended target, a target that remains unknown to this day. The 9/11 attacks were the climax of nearly two decades of Islamist terrorist attacks on U.S. targets throughout the world, including the recent bombings of the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen, the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as an earlier attempt to destroy the World Trade center in 1993. Following the attacks of 9/11, such terrorist strikes, previously viewed as isolated criminal incidents, have been re-identified as part of a coordinated paramilitary strategy. As a response, the United States government launched Operation Enduring Freedom, or what has come to be known as the worldwide War on Terror, the first campaign of which took place against Al Qaeda targets in Afghanistan and against the Taliban government that supported them.

Xpeditions
The aftermath of the attacks on the U.S. is still being felt all over the world. The U.S.-led ouster of the Taliban government in Afghanistan focused world attention on the country of Afghanistan, its history of war and the people who call it home. Students can learn more about the people, topography and culture of this country in these lessons from Xpeditions:

Young students are introduced to the people and culture of Afghanistan through the lesson Greeting Friends from Other Places (K–2). This lesson introduces students to map reading through the use of a map of Afghanistan and helps them consider the different ways children and adults might greet each other in Afghanistan.

In Living Through a Drought (3–5), students use a drought map of Afghanistan to learn how to recognize drought, where drought can occur and how drought affects the people who live in places affected by drought.

In What Makes a Group? (6–8), students are exposed to the wide range of ethnic groups in Afghanistan by examining a map of that country. Students use this map and the lesson to determine how the cultural differences in Afghanistan compare, statistically, to the cultural differences within their classroom.

Through the Eyes of a Refugee (9–12) helps students understand how the physical geography of this region affects the lifestyles of the individuals who live there. Students consider how, particularly in a time of conflict, topography influences the locations of refugee camps and the paths refugees might take to leave the area. In a related Xpeditions Activity of the same name (K–12), students brainstorm ways they could find a missing person and then learn about the successful search for a refugee whose photograph was first taken almost twenty years ago.

Afghanistan is just one of many countries that have been torn by war and conflict. Daily Life in the Middle East (9–12) provides a look at life in the country of Iraq. Students are encouraged to think critically about what the media deliver, why they focus so heavily on war coverage and how this may contribute to skewed views of Iraq and its people. Students explore Iraq's rich cultural history and read online articles or print publications about daily life in Iraq. Finally, in small groups, students concentrate their study on one aspect of daily life in Iraq (or another country in the Middle East) and create presentations for the rest of the class.

EconEdLink
For a look at some of the economic results of the terrorist attacks on the United States, Marketplace: Oil Is a Slippery Business (6–12) focuses student attention on how supply and demand forces are affected by political and historical events. Students listen to an audio segment from National Public Radio's "Marketplace" series and use its information to investigate oil price influences in the world.