01/07/2026
Important Details
1. Under George W. Bush (2001–2009):
Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces but executed by the Iraqi government after regime change.
Sons of Saddam, Uday and Qusay, were killed in combat by U.S. forces.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, was killed by U.S. airstrikes.
No direct killings of sitting heads of state occurred.
Consideration of targeting Osama bin Laden before 9/11 did not materialize.
2. Under Barack Obama (2009–2017):
Osama bin Laden was killed during a U.S. Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan.
Muammar Gaddafi died during a civil war; U.S. supported opposition but did not directly kill him.
Anwar al-Awlaki was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Yemen.
No sitting heads of state were killed by U.S. forces.
3. Under Donald Trump (2017–2021):
Qasem Soleimani, Iranian IRGC general, was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, causing major diplomatic fallout.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a U.S. raid in Syria.
Hamza bin Laden was killed in a counterterrorism operation.
No sitting heads of state killed, despite threats and discussions against leaders like Kim Jong-un and Nicolás Maduro.
4. Under Joe Biden (2021–Present):
Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda leader, was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan.
ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi died during a U.S. raid in Syria.
Iranian IRGC-linked commanders targeted, but no heads of state.
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination not linked to the U.S.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in an accident, not by U.S. action.
5. General Context:
U.S. military and intelligence operations have concentrated on counterterrorism and regime change.
Direct assassination of recognized heads of state remains an avoided or unexecuted policy.
Indirect roles in regime changes often led to the deaths of former leaders or regime affiliates rather than sitting leaders themselves.
