# List of assassinations by the United States

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 | Territory of New Guinea | Japan | 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 | Yemen | Yemen | Drone strike. | |
| Various Iraqi insurgent groups including Al-Qaeda in Iraq, ex-Ba'athists (FRLs), Special Groups backed by Iran etc. | Various, 1000+ HVTs assassinated. | 2003–2009 | Throughout Iraq | 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. |
| Haitham al-Yemeni | Explosives expert for Al-Qaeda. | 2005-05-08 | North Waziristan | Pakistan | Yemen | Drone strike. | |
| Abu Hamza Rabia | Third highest Al-Qaeda leader. | 2005-12-01 | North Waziristan | Pakistan | Egypt | Drone strike. | |
| Abu Musab al-Zarqawi | Leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. | 2006-06-07 | Baqubah, Diyala Governorate | Iraq | Jordan | Air strike. | JSOC air strike. |
| Abu Laith al-Libi | Senior commander of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. | 2008-01-29 | North Waziristan | Pakistan | Libya | Drone strike. | |
| Imad Mughniya | Deputy commander of Hezbollah and assassin. | 2008-02-12 | Damascus | Syria | Lebanon | Car bombing. | Joint C.I.A.–Mossad operation. |
| Abu Khabab al-Masri | Head of Al-Qaeda chemical weapons programme. | 2008-07-28 | South Waziristan | Pakistan | Egypt | 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 | Pakistan | Egypt | Drone strike. | |
| Mohammad Hasan Khalil al-Hakim | Head of Al-Qaeda propaganda. | 2008-10-31 | North Waziristan | Pakistan | Egypt | Drone strike. | |
| Abu Zubair al-Masri | Explosives expert for Al-Qaeda. | 2008-11-22 | North Waziristan | Pakistan | Egypt | Drone strike. | |
| Rashid Rauf | Senior member of Al-Qaeda. | 2008-11-22 | North Waziristan | Pakistan | United Kingdom | Drone strike. | |
| Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam | One of the perpetrators of the 1998 United States embassy bombings. | 2009-01-01 | | Pakistan | Kenya | Drone strike. | |
| Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan | One of the perpetrators of the 1998 United States embassy bombings. | 2009-01-01 | | Pakistan | Kenya | Drone strike. | |
| Baitullah Mehsud | Leader of Tehrik-i-Taliban. | 2009-08-05 | South Waziristan | Pakistan | Pakistan | Drone strike. | |
| Tohir Yoʻldosh | Leader of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. | 2009-08-27 | Zhob, Balochistan | Pakistan | Uzbekistan | Drone strike. | |
| Najmiddin Jalolov | Leader of Islamic Jihad Union. | 2009-09-14 | | Pakistan | Uzbekistan | Drone strike. | |
| Saleh al-Somali | Senior member of Al-Qaeda. | 2009-12-08 | Federally Administered Tribal Areas | Pakistan | Somalia | Drone strike. | |
| Abdullah Said al Libi | Senior member of Al-Qaeda. | 2009-12-17 | North Waziristan | Pakistan | Libya | Drone strike. | |
| Sa'ad bin Laden | One of Osama bin Laden's sons. | 2009 | | Pakistan | Saudi Arabia | Drone strike. | |
| Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali | Participant in the 1998 United States embassy bombings. | 2010 | | Pakistan | Egypt | 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 | Egypt | 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Qasim al-Raymi | Leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. | 2020-02-07 | Wald Rabi' District, Al Bayda Governorate | Yemen | Yemen | Drone strike. | |
| Maher al-Agal | Leader of ISIS in Syria. | 2022-07-12 | Jindires, Aleppo Governorate | Syria | | Drone strike. | |
| 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. | |
| Mushtaq Talib Al-Saeedi (Abu Taqwa) | Senior Commander of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba. | 2024-01-04 | Baghdad | Iraq | Iraq | Drone strike. | |
| Wissam al-Saadi (Abu Bakr) | Senior Commander of Kata'ib Hezbollah. | 2024-02-07 | Baghdad | Iraq | Iraq | Drone strike. | He was in charge of Kata'ib Hezbollah’s operations in Syria. |
| Arkan al-Alawi | Senior Kata'ib Hezbollah commander and intelligence operative. | 2024-02-07 | Baghdad | Iraq | Iraq | Drone strike. | |
| Abdallah Makki Muslih al Rifai (Abu Khadijah) | ISIS’s chief of global operations, the second in command in Iraq | 2025-03-13 | Al Anbar Province | Iraq | Iraq | Air strike. | |

## 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. |
| Saddam Hussein | 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. |
| Ahmad Shah | 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. |

## Planned but unexecuted assassinations

| Target | Position | Nationality | Notes |
| Fidel Castro | Prime Minister of Cuba, President of Cuba, and First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party. | Cuba | Reported by the Church Committee. |
| Patrice Lumumba | Prime Minister of Congo-Leopoldville | Congo-Léopoldville | Reported by the Church Committee. |
| Rafael Trujillo | President of the Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | Reported by the Church Committee. |
| Ngo Dinh Diem | President of South Vietnam | South Vietnam | Reported by the Church Committee. |
| René Schneider | Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army | Chile | Reported by the Church Committee. |
| Sukarno | President of Indonesia | Indonesia | Reported by the Rockefeller Commission |