SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean President Moon Jae-in has expressed his “deepest sympathies” to U.S. President Joe Biden and the American people marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and says South Korea as a key ally will continue to support U.S. efforts to fight terrorism.

Moon in a message posted on Twitter and Facebook Saturday said the “shock of that day still remains as deep wounds in the hearts of so many” and that “no violence can win against peace and inclusiveness.”

He said South Korea as “American’s strong ally will continue to actively join your and the international community’s efforts to combat terrorism.”

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MORE ON SEPT. 11:

— From 9/11's ashes a new world took shape. It did not last

— Surviving 9/11 was ‘just the first piece of the journey’

— 9/11: As the decades pass, the act of remembering evolves

— How 9/11 changed air travel: more security, less privacy

— Two decades after 9/11, Muslim Americans still fighting bias

— 20 years later, fallout from toxic WTC dust grows

— They were some of 9/11′s biggest names. Where are they now?

— From election to COVID, 9/11 conspiracies cast a long shadow

— Read these stories and more AP coverage of the Sept. 11 anniversary at: https://apnews.com/hub/9-11-a-world-changed.

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NEW YORK — The U.S. is set to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks Saturday with commemorations at New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The milestone anniversary takes place just weeks after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the return to power of the Taliban, the faction that sheltered the Muslim militant group founded by Osama bin Laden that carried out the attacks.

It was also happening amid continuing concern over the COVID-19 pandemic, which has now killed more than 11 times as many people in New York City as the nearly 3,000 that perished in the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to all three sites of the 2001 attacks.

Former President George W. Bush is expected to speak at the Pennsylvania memorial. Other observances are planned around the country.