# ‘War on terror’: How 9/11 changed the language of conflict

https://mins.news/en/item/55541

- Al Jazeera, 2026-09-12 05:26 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/12/war-on-terror-how-9-11-changed-the-language-of?traffic_source=rss

> The article argues that 9/11 produced a bureaucratic, precision-focused vocabulary that sanitised violence, including “enhanced interrogation”, “extraordinary rendition” and “enemy combatants”. The broad, undefined framework of a “war on terror” helped underpin the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, Guantanamo Bay detention and expanded surveillance powers, with its political legacy still evident today.

## Related coverage

- [What did US intelligence know before the 9/11 attacks?](https://mins.news/en/item/55655) — Al Jazeera, 2026-09-12
- [9/11: Who won the war on terror? | The Global Story](https://mins.news/en/video/55187) — BBC News, 2026-09-11