List of assassinations by the United States explained

This is a list of individuals who have been the targets of assassination by the United States. American authorities usually define these killings as 'targeted killings'.

Successful assassinations

Target	Position	Date	Location	Country	Nationality	Method	Notes
Isoroku Yamamoto	Gensui of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, mastermind of the Attack on Pearl Harbor.	1943-04-18	Bougainville Island			Plane shot down.	Part of Operation Vengeance.
Viet Cong operatives	Various.	1966 - 1972	Various	South Vietnam	North Vietnam	Torture murder.	Part of Phoenix Program.
Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi	Participant in the USS Cole bombing.	2002-11-03	Sanaa			Drone strike.
Various Iraqi insurgent groups including Al-Qaeda in Iraq, ex-Ba'athists (FRLs), Shi'ite insurgents backed by Iran etc.	Various, 1000+ HVTs assassinated.	2003 - 2009	Throughout Iraq		Various	Drone/air strikes, sniper operations, bombings, raids etc.	Assassination campaign carried out by JSOC and CIA paramilitaries in secret to quell the anti-U.S. insurgency in Iraq.^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4]
Haitham al-Yemeni	Explosives expert for Al-Qaeda.	2005-05-08	North Waziristan			Drone strike.
Abu Hamza Rabia	Third highest Al-Qaeda leader.	2005-12-01	North Waziristan			Drone strike.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi	Leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq.	2006-06-07	Baqubah, Diyala Governorate	Iraq		Air strike.	JSOC air strike.^[5]
Abu Laith al-Libi	Senior commander of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.	2008-01-29	North Waziristan		Libya	Drone strike.
Imad Mughniya	Deputy commander of Hezbollah and assassin.	2008-02-12	Damascus			Car bombing.	Joint C.I.A.–Mossad operation.
Abu Khabab al-Masri	Head of Al-Qaeda chemical weapons programme.	2008-07-28	South Waziristan			Drone strike.
Abu Wafa al Saudi	Involved in Al-Qaeda logistics.	2008-09-04				Drone strike.
Abu Haris	Al-Qaeda commander.	2008-09-08				Drone strike.
Khalid Habib	Senior member of Al-Qaeda.	2008-10-16	near Taparghai			Drone strike.
Mohammad Hasan Khalil al-Hakim	Head of Al-Qaeda propaganda.	2008-10-31	North Waziristan			Drone strike.
Abu Zubair al-Masri	Explosives expert for Al-Qaeda.	2008-11-22	North Waziristan			Drone strike.
Rashid Rauf	Senior member of Al-Qaeda.	2008-11-22	North Waziristan			Drone strike.
Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam	One of the perpetrators of the 1998 United States embassy bombings.	2009-01-01				Drone strike.
Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan	One of the perpetrators of the 1998 United States embassy bombings.	2009-01-01		Pakistan	Kenya	Drone strike.	^[6]
Baitullah Mehsud	Leader of Tehrik-i-Taliban.	2009-08-05	South Waziristan			Drone strike.	^[7]
Tohir Yoʻldosh	Leader of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.	2009-08-27	Zhob, Balochistan			Drone strike.
Najmiddin Jalolov	Leader of Islamic Jihad Union.	2009-09-14				Drone strike.
Saleh al-Somali	Senior member of Al-Qaeda.	2009-12-08	Federally Administered Tribal Areas			Drone strike.
Abdullah Said al Libi	Senior member of Al-Qaeda.	2009-12-17	North Waziristan		Libya	Drone strike.
	One of Osama bin Laden's sons.	2009				Drone strike.
Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali	Participant in the 1998 United States embassy bombings.	2010				Drone strike.
Qari Mohammad Zarif	Leader of Fada'iyan-e Islam.	2010-02-24				Drone strike.
Saeed al-Masri	Head of Al-Qaeda finances.	2010-05-21	Boya, North Waziristan	Pakistan		Drone strike.
Hamza al-Jufi	Leader of Jundallah.	2010-06-29				Drone strike.
Sheikh al-Fatah	Leader of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.	2010-09-25				Drone strike.
Abu Ibrahim	Leader of Fursan-i-Mohammed.	2010-10-06				Drone strike.
Sheik Fateh al Masri	Top commander of the Lashkar al Zil.	2010-12				Drone strike.
Abu Zaid al-Iraqi	Head of Al-Qaeda finances in Pakistan.	2011-02-20				Drone strike.
Osama bin Laden	Leader of Al-Qaeda, mastermind of the September 11 attacks.	2011-05-02	Bilal Town, Abbottabad	Pakistan	Saudi Arabia	United States Navy SEALs raid.
Ilyas Kashmiri	Senior member of Al-Qaeda.	2011-06-03	North Waziristan	Pakistan	Pakistan	Drone strike.
Atiyah Abd al-Rahman	Osama bin Laden's Chief of Staff.	2011-08-22	North Waziristan	Pakistan	Libya	Drone strike.
Abu Hafs al-Shahri	Al-Qaeda commander.	2011-09-11				Drone strike.
Anwar al-Awlaki	Member of Al-Qaeda.	2011-09-30	Al Jawf	Yemen	United States	Drone strike.
Abu Miqdad al Masri	Member of Al-Qaeda.	2011-10-14				Drone strike.
Aslam Awan	Deputy leader of external operations for Al-Qaeda.	2012-01-10				Drone strike.
Bader Mansoor	Leader of an Al-Qaeda affiliate.	2012-02-09				Drone strike.
Abu Yahya al-Libi	Senior member of Al-Qaeda.	2012-06-04	Mir Ali	Pakistan	Libya	Drone strike.
Usman Adil	Leader of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.	2012-04-29				Drone strike.
Abdul Shakoor al-Turkistani	Turkistan Islamic Party.	2012-08-24	North Waziristan	Pakistan	China	Drone strike.
Yaseen al Somali	Deputy Commander for Al-Qaeda training.	2013-01-08				Drone strike.
Abu Ubaydah Abdullah al-Adam	Commander for Al-Qaeda intelligence.	2013-04-14				Drone strike.
Abu Saif al Jaziri	Senior commander for training of Al-Qaeda.	2013-07-03				Drone strike.
Ahmed Abdi Godane	Leader of Al-Shabaab.	2014-09-01	Hawaay, Lower Shabelle	Somalia	Somalia	Drone strike.
Sheikh Imran Ali Siddi	Leader of Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent.	2014-10-11				Drone strike.
Umar Farooq	Commander of Al-Qaeda.	2014-12-07				Drone strike.
Adam Yahiye Gadahn	Al-Qaeda spokesperson and media advisor.	2015-01-19	Waziristan	Pakistan	United States	Drone strike.
Adan Garar	Suspected of a role in the Westgate Mall attack.	2015-03				Drone strike.
Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad Arbaysh	Senior member of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.	2015-04-12	Hadhramaut	Yemen	Saudi Arabia	Drone strike.
Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi	Senior member of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.	2015-05-07	Mukalla	Yemen	Yemen	Drone strike.
Hamza bin Laden	Son of Osama bin Laden, emerging leader of al-Qaeda	2017-2019		Afghanistan	Saudi Arabia		Details remain scarce.^[8]
Qasem Soleimani	Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.	2020-01-03	Baghdad	Iraq	Iran	Drone strike.	Soleimani was the second most powerful person in Iran.^[9]
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis	Deputy Chairman of the Popular Mobilization Forces.	2020-01-03	Baghdad	Iraq	Iraq	Drone strike.	One of Iraq’s most powerful men.^[10]
Qasim al-Raymi	Leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.	2020-02-07	Wald Rabi' District, Al Bayda Governorate	Yemen	Yemen	Drone strike.	^[11] ^[12]
Maher al-Agal	Leader of ISIS in Syria.	2022-07-12	Jindires, Aleppo Governorate	Syria		Drone strike.	https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-711880
Ayman al-Zawahiri	Leader of Al-Qaeda.	2022-07-31	Kabul	Afghanistan	Egypt	Drone strike.
Usamah al-Muhajir	Leader of ISIS forces in East Syria.	2023-07-09	Aleppo Governorate	Syria		Drone strike.	^[13] ^[14]
Mushtaq Talib Al-Saeedi (Abu Taqwa)	Senior Commander of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba.	2024-01-04	Baghdad			Drone strike.	^[15]
Wissam al-Saadi (Abu Bakr)	Senior Commander of Kata'ib Hezbollah.	2024-02-07	Baghdad			Drone strike.	He was in charge of Kata'ib Hezbollah’s operations in Syria.^[16] ^[17]
Arkan al-Alawi	Senior Kata'ib Hezbollah commander and intelligence operative.	2024-02-07	Baghdad			Drone strike.	^[18] ^[19]

Failed attempts

!Target!Position!Date!Location!Country!Nationality!Method!Notes

Muammar Gaddafi	Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution of Libya.	1986-04-15	Bab al-Azizia	Libya	Libya	Air strike.	Part of the 1986 United States bombing of Libya.^[20]
	President of Iraq	2003-03-19	Dora Farm Complex, Dora, Baghdad	Iraq	Iraq	Air strike.	The George W. Bush Presidency authorized the U.S. military to launch "decapitation strikes", prior to the invasion of Iraq.^[21]
	Leader of an anti-coalition militia (ACM)	2005-06-27	Sawtalo Sar, Kunar	Afghanistan	Afghanistan	SEAL Team and U.S. Marines raid.	Part of Operation Red Wings, Resulted in the death of 19 U.S. soldiers including a 4-man SEAL reconnaissance team.
Abdul Reza Shahlai	IRGC-QF Brigadier General	2020-01-03	Sana’a	Yemen	Iran	Drone strike.	U.S. Special Operations Forces tried to liquidate Shahlai as part of an American effort to cripple the leadership of Iran's Quds Force.^[22]

Planned but unexecuted assassinations

!Target!Position!Nationality!Method!Notes

Fidel Castro	Prime Minister of Cuba, President of Cuba, and First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party.			Reported by the Church Committee.
Patrice Lumumba	Prime Minister of Congo-Leopoldville			Reported by the Church Committee.
Rafael Trujillo	President of the Dominican Republic			Reported by the Church Committee.
Ngo Dinh Diem	President of South Vietnam			Reported by the Church Committee.
René Schneider				Reported by the Church Committee.
Sukarno	President of Indonesia			Reported by the Rockefeller Commission^[23]

See also

• Drone strike
• Assassination and targeted killing by the CIA
• List of assassinations
• List of Israeli assassinations
  • List of Iranian assassinations List of Soviet and Russian assassinations (disambiguation)
• United States involvement in regime change
• Criticism of United States foreign policy
• U.S. list of most-wanted Iraqis
• U.S. kill or capture strategy in Iraq
• Operation Condor

Notes and References

1. News: Priest . Dana . September 2, 2011 . 'Top Secret America': A look at the military's Joint Special Operations Command . The Washington Post . https://web.archive.org/web/20121109222724/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/top-secret-america-a-look-at-the-militarys-joint-special-operations-command/2011/08/30/gIQAvYuAxJ_story.html . 9 November 2012.
2. Web site: Naylor . Sean . October 4, 2015 . Delta Force secretly killed Iranian agents in Iraq — with IEDs . New York Post.
3. Web site: Kelley . Michael B . May 10, 2013 . US Special Ops Have Become Much, Much Scarier Since 9/11 . Business Insider.
4. Web site: Records Sent to, Sent by, or Received by President George W. Bush regarding Drones, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and Targeted Killing between January 2004 and January 2009 . George W. Bush Presidential Library.
5. Web site: Rogers . Paul . December 15, 2014 . Not just the CIA: special forces in Iraq fought a shadow war that led to rise of IS . The Conversation.
6. Web site: 9 January 2009 . Pakistan al-Qaeda leaders 'dead' . BBC News.
7. Web site: The Disposition Matrix. 2015-04-25. en-US. 2020-01-08.
8. Web site: Trump confirms Osama bin Laden's son Hamza killed in US counterterrorism operation. Sarah Westwood . Evan Perez . Ryan Browne. CNN. 14 September 2019. 2020-01-06.
9. Web site: Nakhoul . Samia . U.S. killing of Iran's second most powerful man risks regional conflagration . Reuters.
10. Web site: Bulos . Nabih . 6 January 2020 . The U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general also eliminated another key player . Los Angeles Times.
11. News: Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen killed by US strike. 2020-02-07. BBC News. 2020-02-09. en-GB.
12. Web site: Exclusive: Local sources confirm the killing of Qassim Al-Raimi by US strike in Al-Baydha.
13. News: American drone strike kills ISIS leader: US Central Command. 2023-07-09. New York Post. 2023-07-09. en-US.
14. Web site: Islamic State leader killed on motorcycle by US drones Russia 'harassed': Officials. 2023-07-09. ABC News. 2023-07-09. en-US.
15. Web site: 5 January 2024 . Who was 'Abu Taqwa', the Iraqi militia head assassinated by the US? . The New Arab.
16. Web site: 2024-02-07 . Drone strike kills Iran-aligned militia leader in Baghdad . BBC News.
17. Web site: 2024-02-08 . Targeted US Drone Assassination Kills Iran-Backed Militia Leaders in Baghdad . Gulf Insider.
18. Web site: 2024-02-08 . Iraq restates call for removal of US troops following assassination of militia leader . Middle East Eye.
19. Web site: 8 February 2024 . Iraq condemns ‘clear-cut assassination’ operation after US strike . Al Jazeera.
20. Book: Herbert, Jr, Riger G.. Bullets with names: The deadly dilemma. https://web.archive.org/web/20210508094039/https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a256210.pdf. live. May 8, 2021. USN Naval Postgraduate School. 1992. Monterey, California.
21. Web site: 'Decapitation strike' was aimed at Saddam . CNN.
22. Web site: 11 January 2020 . US tried to kill Iranian leader Abdul Reza Shahlai on same day it assassinated Qassem Soleimani . ABC Australia.
23. Web site: Cheney . Richard B. . Intelligence - Report on CIA Assassination Plots (1) . Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum . National Archives and Records Administration . 18 October 2023 . 9 . PDF . June 6, 1975.