KABUL — In a surprise move that has sent shockwaves around the country, the terrorist group al Qaeda has announced plans to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks by organizing an "Honor Flight" to New York City. 

The group, which was responsible for the 2001 attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives and led to the United States' longest-running war in Afghanistan, stated that the trip would be a “symbolic pilgrimage to the very city where it all began.”

“We’ve seen how veterans in the West get the red-carpet treatment, visiting the sites of their greatest achievements,” said an al Qaeda spokesperson, who remained anonymous out of fear of losing his life for speaking with Western media. “We thought, why not give our members a chance to reflect on their ‘mission accomplished’ moment, just like the American veterans who visit their war memorials?”

According to sources, the trip is being modeled after the popular Honor Flight programs, which have brought thousands of U.S. military veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials of the wars they fought in.