CIA's History of Targeted Assassinations from Cold War to War on Terror
The CIA has a long history of targeted assassinations, beginning with Cold War efforts against leaders like Fidel Castro and Patrice Lumumba. Castro survived dozens of plots, including poisoned wetsuits and exploding cigars, due to Cuban intelligence. Lumumba and Rafael Trujillo were killed in 1961 with CIA logistical support. After the Church and Pike Committees revealed abuses, President Gerald Ford signed Executive Order 11905 on February 18, 1976, banning assassinations. The CIA refrained from targeted killings until after 9/11, when it launched a massive drone campaign in Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing thousands including al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2022. The program also targeted AQAP in Yemen and al-Shabaab in Somalia, causing hundreds of civilian deaths. While scaled back, the capability remains.
Key facts
- CIA targeted Fidel Castro with dozens of assassination plots, including poisoned wetsuit and exploding cigar.
- Patrice Lumumba was assassinated in 1961 with CIA support.
- Rafael Trujillo was killed in May 1961 with CIA-provided weapons and money.
- President Ford signed Executive Order 11905 on February 18, 1976, banning assassinations.
- After 9/11, CIA launched drone strikes in Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing thousands.
- CIA killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan in 2022.
- Drone strikes in Pakistan caused major public protests and hundreds of civilian deaths.
- CIA assisted in targeting al-Shabaab leaders in Somalia from Djibouti.
Entities
Institutions
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
- al-Qaeda
- Taliban
- Haqqani Network
- al-Shabaab
- al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
- Houthi rebels
- Counterterrorism Center (CTC)
- Alec Station
- Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC)
- National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)
- Department of Defense (DoD)
- US Senate
- Church Committee
- Pike Committee
- Brookings Institution
- Human Rights Watch
- PBS
- BBC
- CBS News
- New York Times
- Reuters
- Review Journal
- Tribune Magazine
- CNN
- War on the Rocks
- National WWII Museum
- Zinn Education Project
- UCLA Law
- Politico
- Ford Library Museum
- Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
- UN OCHA
Locations
- Cuba
- United States
- Congo
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Dominican Republic
- Afghanistan
- Pakistan
- Yemen
- Somalia
- Djibouti
- Las Vegas
- Washington, D.C.
- White House
- Oval Office