The United States is marking the 14th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with a series of observances to remember the nearly 3,000 victims that died that day.

Hundreds of victims' relatives gathered on Friday in New York City at the site where two planes hit the World Trade Center's twin towers.

They listened to the names of the victims being read while carrying photos emblazoned with the names of their lost family members.

US President Barack Obama along with his wife and his staff stepped out of the White House on Friday morning to observe a moment of silence.

At the US Department of Defense, a private ceremony is being held in the morning for family members of those lost in the attack on the Pentagon building.

The September 11 attacks, also known as the 9/11 attacks, were a series of strikes in the US which killed nearly 3,000 people and caused about $10 billion worth of property and infrastructure damage.

US officials assert that the attacks were carried out by al-Qaeda terrorists but many experts have raised questions about the official account.

They believe that rogue elements within the US government orchestrated or at least encouraged the 9/11 attacks in order to accelerate the US war machine and advance the Zionist agenda.

A special review commission on 9/11 has found that disagreements still persist within the FBI over whether there was a broader conspiracy in the US to carry out the 2001 attacks.

Aspects of the continuing inquiry, which is the largest in FBI history, suggests that others inside the US had advance knowledge of the operation and supported the suicide hijackers.

"We come every year. The crowds get smaller, but we want to be here. As long as I'm breathing, I'll be here," said Tom Acquaviva, 81, who lost his son, Paul Acquaviva, a systems analyst who died in the trade center's north tower.

"I don't go to the memorial. I don't watch it on TV. But I make sure, every year, I observe a moment of silence at 8:46," electrician Jeff Doran, 41, said on Friday.

By Press TV