After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks killed almost 3,000 people in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, President George W. Bush declared that the United States was launching a “war on terror.” The primary target of this war was Al Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Within a month, U.S. troops were fighting in Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda was based.
Fifteen years later, Al Qaeda has been scattered and weakened, but it’s still a threat. And the U.S. is now battling ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and homegrown terrorists inspired by ISIS. Two experts weigh in on whether or not we’re making progress in the fight against terrorism.