In Chile, commemorating a different Sept. 11

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While the United States recalled the six-year anniversary of the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington, Chile also marked the September date — Sept. 11, 1973, to be precise — when a military coup ousted President Salvador Allende, ushering in 17 years of military rule.

President Michelle Bachelet led a homage Tuesday to Allende, who died in the Sept. 11, 1973, military assault on La Moneda, the presidential palace in Santiago.

El Mercurio published a photo of a wreath being laid at a monument to Allende in the plaza outside the palace.

In a lengthy investigation published Tuesday, the Santiago daily La Nación disputes a widely disseminated report that Allende committed suicide by using an AK-47 rifle that had been a gift from Fidel Castro. The article alleges that the military, under the leadership of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, invented the story — even fabricating a ‘dedication’ from Castro on a rifle allegedly wielded by Allende that day. Questions remain in Chile as to whether Allende took his own life, died in the fighting or was executed.

Posted by Patrick J. McDonnell and Andrés D’Alessandro in Buenos Aires

Photo: Salvador Allende in August 1973; Credit: AFP