Terrorists were unable to shake Western values: Boris Johnson says on 9/11 anniversary

Sending out a message of never giving up and solidarity, UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson released a video message for the 20th anniversary of the horrifying 9/11 attacks.

Born in New York, Boris Johnson said the perpetrators of the September 11, 2001 attacks have failed to destroy Western values. The jihadists, he believes, were unable to shake the western countries’ belief in freedom and democracy.

"We can now say with the perspective of 20 years that they failed to shake our belief in freedom and democracy," he said in the vide message delivered ahead of the anniversary on Saturday."They failed to drive our nations apart, or cause us to abandon ourvalues, or to live in permanent fear."

He also paid respects to the 67 British nationals who had lost their lives in the gruesome attack. Johnson called it a "symbol of the eternal friendship between the United Kingdom and the United States".

Even as Afghanistan struggles to breathe freely under the rule of the terrorist organisation, Taliban, Johnson claimed in the video message that terrorism has failed.

"The fact that we are coming together today in sorrow, but also in faith and resolve, demonstrates the failure of terrorism and the strength of the bonds between us."

He also acknowledged the recent victory of Taliban in Afghanistan, but said this takeover can only "strengthen our determination to remember those who were taken from us, cherish the survivors and those who still grieve, and hold fast to our belief in liberty and democracy, which will always prevail over every foe".

The US had also presented a sculpture made of twisted metal debris from the remains of the fallen World Trade Center to the UK, in memory of the horrific attack.

America will mark the 20th anniversary of the gruesome 9/11 attacks on Saturday as the country struggles to evacuate its remaining citizens from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.