The 2001
September 11 attacks in the United States were
prudently denounced by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Following the U.S. military response in the Afghanistan war theater, Gaddafi increasingly sought to normalize relations with the United States, initially focusing on the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Libya. On 19 December 2003, Gaddafi made a surprise announcement of his intention to dismantle Libya's WMD programs. Following the announcement, Libya agreed to the destruction of its chemical weapons and its nuclear and biological weapon programs.