Just Saying | On September 11, let's set hypocrisy aside to mourn victims in the US as well as the many more massacred by American retaliation

Sorry, it’s September 11 and I know I’m treading on hallowed ground here, but today I’ll be mourning so much more than just the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

While Americans hold their annual vigils, memorials and tributes for the nearly 3,000 who died on this day in 2001, I for one will be thinking of those innocents along with the hundreds of thousands of victims of the disproportionate and misdirected response to 9/11, and some of the hypocrisies inherent in the 9/11 sequelae.

Yes, those innocents died horrifically 14 years ago and their devastated families continue to feel unimaginable loss and pain.

But I don’t see why the rest of the world, egged on by the mainstream media, treats it like the only sacred cow around. If we must mourn victims of horrendous mass murder, let’s put the facts into perspective.

After the George W. Bush administration declared its so-called “war on terror” following 9/11, it slaughtered up to 20,000 Afghans in the first four months of bombing the country. That figure surges to hundreds of thousands, factoring in the US-led invasion that followed.

Keep in mind the vast majority of casualties were not fanatics brandishing AK-47 assault rifles, but innocent civilians – just like those who died on American soil.

Where are the memorials for them?