Thirteen years of perseverance

NEW YORK—For the 13th time, the family members of 9/11 victims gathered this morning to read the nearly 3,000 names of those who died at Ground Zero. Three New York City mayors listened: Rudy Giuliani, who was mayor on 9/11; Michael Bloomberg, who took office soon after the attack and oversaw the first ceremonies; and current mayor Bill de Blasio, attending his first ceremony as mayor.

In Washington, President Barack Obama attended the memorial ceremony at the Pentagon for the 184 killed there. He opened and closed his remarks with James 5:11: “We count those as blessed who have persevered.”

The readers at Ground Zero mentioned the life events their loved ones have missed: a son graduating high school, grandchildren born. The 9/11 museum opened this year at Ground Zero, and features each victim’s story.

Also at the remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero was Jeh Johnson, the head of Homeland Security, a department President George W. Bush created in response to 9/11. Homeland Security is now the federal government’s third largest department. Johnson’s birthday is actually Sept. 11.

The day before the anniversary, Johnson spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and addressed the looming threat of ISIS, also known as ISIL, with the attendant fears of another terrorist attack in the United States.

“At present, we have no credible information that ISIL is planning to attack the homeland of the United States,” he said. “But that is not, by any means, the end of the story. ISIL is an extremely dangerous organization. … We know ISIL views the United States as an enemy, and we know that ISIL’s leaders have themselves said they will soon be in ‘direct confrontation’ with the United States.”

Johnson said ISIS has an estimated 10,000 fighters who conduct 30 to 40 attacks per month. The group takes in about $1 million a day from illicit oil sales, smuggling, and ransom payments.

“It has the elements of both a terrorist organization and an insurgent army,” he said. “It kills innocent civilians, and has seized large amounts of territory in Iraq and Syria, which it can utilize for safe haven, training, command and control, and from which it can launch attacks.”

At dozens of airports overseas, Homeland Security has recently enhanced screening for U.S.-bound flights. On Wednesday night at the White House, President Obama delivered a prime-time address to outline his plan against ISIS, which includes sending 475 troops to Iraq (for training and intelligence, not combat) and increasing airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria.

In New York, Johnson said the terrorist threat has splintered across the Middle East, so the problem is more complex than in 2001.

“Not only is there core al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, there is al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula—which is still active in its efforts to attack the homeland—al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, al-Shabaab in Somalia, the al-Nusrah Front in Syria, and the newest affiliate, al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent,” Johnson said. “There are groups like Boko Haram in Nigeria, which are not official affiliates of al-Qaeda, but share its extremist ideology.”

In one piece of good news, the administration confirmed last week that a U.S. drone strike killed the leader of al Shabaab in Somalia. Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, has carried out terrorist attacks in Uganda and Kenya.

New Yorkers have gone about their business as usual. Very few talk of ISIS or the Middle East conflicts, and if anxiety exists about terror attacks, it is suppressed. Instead of prayers for their own safety, Christians in New York have organized a prayer night this evening for Christians in the Middle East.

But nationally, anxiety persists: A new CNN poll found 90 percent of Americans think ISIS is a threat to the United States.

“No matter what’s in the news, we’re in a perpetual state of readiness,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told the Associated Press on Wednesday. “I don’t think it feels that different than a year ago. We were already the number one target a year ago and the year before that. I do not expect that to change in my mayoralty.”