THESE shocking newly released photos show the true scale of the 9/11 terror attack on the Pentagon.
As many as 189 people died at the Virginia site — the home of American military intelligence.
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A photo newly released from the FBI archives shows a fire blazing at the Pentagon building in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attackCredit: FBI
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A chopper surveys the devastation as smoke billows from the iconic home of US military intelligenceCredit: FBI
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Frantic first responders tend to casualties as fires rage on in the PentagonCredit: FBI
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The Washington Monument looms over the disaster zone as brave firefighters attempt to douse the Pentagon blazeCredit: FBI
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Rescue workers assess the damage at the Pentagon, where terrorists aimed American Airlines flight 77Credit: FBI
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Shocked firefighters look on in stunned silence as the scale of destruction becomes clearCredit: FBI
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An excavator begins the painstaking task of digging out the debris left behind after the collapse of part of the PentagonCredit: FBI
The shattering symbolism of the strike at the heart of US firepower could only be overshadowed by the devastation in New York, where over 2,606 people perished as the Twin Towers fell.
Like there, the Pentagon was struck with a hijacked plane as holidaymakers, tourists and travellers were turned into human bombs on that fateful day nearly 16 years ago.
And these photographs, newly released by the FBI, show the level of devastation caused when American Airlines flight 77 struck the massive complex located just over the Potomac River from Washington DC.
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A water cannon tries to spray the smouldering ashes. 189 people perished in the Pentagon attackCredit: FBI
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A mess of debris lies strewn across the floor at the PentagonCredit: FBI
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Workers begin the task of rebuilding the iconic complex. Staff moved back in to the site where the plane struck within a yearCredit: FBI
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A photograph taken from a distance shows the scale of the disasterCredit: FBI
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A piece of debris from the American Airlines plane lies on the grass at the PentagonCredit: FBI
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Another destroyed part of the Pentagon complexCredit: FBI
September 11 2001 marked the 60th anniversary of the beginning of building work on the massive site.
Despite the destruction caused by the plane's impact at 9:37am local time, the portion of the building that it struck was largely empty due to renovation work.
It was these renovations that also gave strength to the structure, with metal beams and steel columns having just recently been put in place to withstand bomb attacks.
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The area where the plane struck was undergoing renovation at the time, reducing the potential death toll significantlyCredit: FBI
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Workers had been fitting strengthening bars and columns, which allowed the devastated part of the Pentagon to stay standing for long enough for more people to escapeCredit: FBI
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FBI agents trawl though the debris left behind after the attackCredit: FBI
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FBI workers asses the damage caused to the Pentagon on 9/11Credit: FBI
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An aerial shot captures the point of impact on the side of the PentagonCredit: FBI
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Workers can be seen shovelling through ash and dust left behind after the disasterCredit: FBI
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A gaping hole left behind where part of the aircraft struck the Pentagon complexCredit: FBI
It is these steel columns that are visible in many of the new tranche of shocking photos.
The hole created by the plane blast was 20ft wide and 100ft deep.
But within the year staff had moved back in to the devastated area — a sign that the US was not to be kowtowed by the brutal acts of terrorist thugs.
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More debris from the Boeing aircraft that was directed into the Pentagon by terrorist hijackersCredit: FBI
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Debris from the aircraft was spread across the disaster site from the force of the explosionCredit: FBI
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A charred window looks out onto the scene of devastation at the PentagonCredit: FBI
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