Turkey 'once again strongly condemns' 9/11 terror attacks

Turkey on Saturday "strongly condemned" the Sept. 11 terror attacks in which roughly 3,000 lives were taken when al-Qaeda hijackers struck the financial and political capitals of the US.

"At the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that took place in the US, we once again strongly condemn this brutal terrorist attack and continue to share the sufferings of the victims and their relatives," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry stressed that the attacks, as well as the "subsequent global developments" clearly showed that international cooperation in the fight against terrorism "without any distinction" among terrorist organizations is a "must."

"In this framework, Turkey is determined to maintain the fight against terrorism in cooperation with other members of the international community," the readout said.

Slain al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks on New York's Twin Towers, as well as the attack on Pentagon.

The attacks were carried out using three passenger planes hijacked by al-Qaeda operatives. A fourth plane, bound for either the White House or the Capitol building, crashed in a field in Shanksville after passengers attempted to retake it from the hijackers.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed, including citizens of 77 countries, on that day. Hundreds more first responders have died in the nearly two decades since from illnesses they developed while trying to save lives in the smoky and dust-filled ruins of the attacks, particularly in New York City where thick plumes of dark ash filled the air.

Countless other victims were sickened, some fatally, by the debris.