To mark the tragic anniversary of 9/11, the Department of Defense has released dozens of never-before-seen images of the aftermath of the terror attacks at the Pentagon and Twin Towers.

“On this #PatriotDay, we’re sharing 20 rarely seen photos from #September11th. We will never forget those we lost,” the Defense Department tweeted on Monday.

It’s been 16 years since the horrific September 11th attacks that killed almost 3,000 people and wounded 6,000 more.

The following images and captions provided by the DoD:

President George W. Bush watches television coverage of the attacks on the World Trade Center Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, as he is briefed in a classroom at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Fla. Photo by Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library

An aerial view of the damage at the Pentagon two days after Sept. 11, 2001. On that day, five members of al-Qaida, a group of fundamentalist Islamic Muslims, hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757-200, from Dulles International Airport just outside Washington and flew the aircraft and its 64 passengers into the side of the Pentagon. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cedric H. Rudisill

The aftermath in Washington of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon, Sept. 11, 2001. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Houlihan

A clock, frozen at the time of impact, inside the Pentagon. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Larry A. Simmons

Burned and melted items sit atop an office desk inside the fifth floor of the Pentagon. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Larry A. Simmons

View of a damaged office on the fifth floor of the Pentagon. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Larry A. Simmons

President George W. Bush talks on the telephone Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, as senior staff huddle aboard Air Force One. Photo by Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library

President George W. Bush talks with Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and other advisors during meetings at the President’s Emergency Operations Center, Sept. 11, 2001. National Archives photo

Vice President Dick Cheney sits with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice in the President’s Emergency Operations Center during meetings on the day of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. National Archives photo

Vice President Dick Cheney sits with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice in the President’s Emergency Operations Center during meetings on the day of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. National Archives photo

Smoke rises from the site of the World Trade Center Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.

Photo by Paul Morse, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library

New York National Guard soldiers from the 69th Infantry Division and New York City firefighters band together to remove rubble from ground zero at the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. New York National Guard photo

Wearing a gas mask, a New York National Guard Soldier from the “Fighting” 69th Infantry Division pauses amid the rubble at ground zero. (Photo by the New York National Guard)



Secretary of State Colin Powell gets briefed inside the President’s Emergency Operations Center, Sept. 11, 2001. National Archives photo

President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney meet in the President’s Emergency Operations Center during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. National Archives photo



George W. Bush greets rescue workers, firefighters and military personnel Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001, while surveying damage caused by the previous day’s terrorist attacks on the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. Photo by Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library

President George W. Bush grasps the hand of his father, former President George H. W. Bush, Friday, Sept. 14, 2001, after speaking at the service for America’s National Day of Prayer and Remembrance at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Photo by Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library

Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) render honors as firefighters and rescue workers unfurl a huge American flag over the side of the Pentagon while rescue and recovery efforts continued following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. The garrison flag, sent from the U.S. Army Band at nearby Fort Myer, Virginia, is the largest authorized flag for the military. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Pendergrass

Sandra Dahl, left, is the widow of Jason Dahl, the pilot of United Airlines Flight 93, which went down in Somerset, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 11, 2001. The plane was believed to have been en route to the White House. Here, she holds an American flag along with Air Force Lt. Col. Mike Low after flying in the back seat of his F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter.

Though this photo was taken Feb. 8, 2004 – not immediately during or after the attacks – it depicts the spirit and determination of all of those who carry the legacy of the men and women who sacrificed that day. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Darin Overstreet

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