In a recent interview with Iran’s Press TV, leading American intellectual and political dissident Noam Chomsky stated that the wars launched in response to the 9/11 attacks are “criminal” and noted that no evidence was provided that al Qaeda was responsible for the attacks.
Chomsky told Press TV: “The explicit and declared motive of the [Afghanistan] war was to compel the Taliban to turn over to the United States, the people who they accused of having been involved in World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist acts. The Taliban… they requested evidence… and the Bush administration refused to provide any. We later discovered one of the reasons why they did not bring evidence: they did not have any.”
In the years since 9/11, Chomsky has often been at odds with activists seeking accountability for the attacks, which have been used as justification for an ongoing global “war on terror” and continuing infringement of civil liberties. Chomsky has at times derided the cause and accused 9/11 activists of distracting from more important issues. In 2008, Chomsky added his name to a petition started by 9/11 family members calling for the release of classified documents relating to the 9/11 attacks.
Watch a clip of the Press TV interview with Noam Chomsky, courtesy of oumma.com: