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John Howard has defended his decision to send Australian troops to war in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks 20 years ago and said he feared Sydney may be targeted next.
The former prime minister was in Washington DC for a meeting with President George Bush when two planes hijacked by terrorists flew into New York's twin towers.
Three days later, Mr Howard invoked the ANZUS treaty - an alliance between the US, Australia and New Zealand signed in 1951 - and committed to support America.
John Howard has defended his decision to send Australian troops to war in Afghanistan 20 years ago after the September 11 attacks (pictured)
Allied troops entered Afghanistan in October 2001 to make sure the country did not offer safe harbour to more terrorists.
Over the next two decades 41 Australians and 2,372 Americans lost their lives in the country - and now the Taliban, an Islamist militant group, has regained power, causing critics to question the decision to go to war in the first place.
Mr Howard said it would have been 'unthinkable' not to join the US and revealed when the attack happened he feared Australia may be targeted next.
'A lot of thought that morning was will the next attack be on London or Paris or Tokyo or even Sydney,' he told ABC radio on Monday.
Former Prime Minister John Howard
'All sorts of thoughts go through your mind.'
Mr Howard, who
