People pause at the September 11th Memorial on September 9, 2021, in New York City. New York City and much of the nation are preparing for the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in both New York City and Washington D.C. The United States has officially ended its participation in the war in Afghanistan, a two-decade-long conflict that began shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Almost 2,500 U.S. service members have died in the conflict, and thousands of Afghan troops, police personnel and civilians have also been killed. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images
