DHAKA: Americans on Thursday marked the 13th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, with somber ceremonies of remembrance in New York and Washington.

President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and vice president Joe Biden observed a moment of silence on the White House south lawn, along with about 300 staffers.

Flags in Washington flew at half-mast, reports The Straits Times.

Obama was then to attend a ceremony at the Pentagon, scene of one of the strikes.

The anniversary comes just hours after Obama laid out his strategy to counter Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, a new front in America’s unresolved confrontation with radical Islam begun in earnest 13 years ago.

BDST: 2011 HRS, SEP 11, 2014