Name: 10 Infamous Assassinations Ordered by the American Government
Uploaded: 2025-05-23T04:58:27.000Z
Duration: 12 min 40 s
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He was a bit of a snoop, he poked his nose around in a lot of dangerous places where he really didn't belong.

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at some of the U.S. government's most infamous assassination attempts.

Relative clauses (Restrictive vs. nonrestrictive)

Gaddafi was a dashing figure who quickly created a cult of personality, dressed in flashy outfits that bordered on costume.

Dozens of highly skilled al-Qaeda commanders, trainers, bomb makers, and operatives have been taken off the battlefield.

Between 2004 and 2018, U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan killed up to 3,500 militants and hundreds of civilians, including children.

These strikes lasted through three U.S. presidencies, beginning during Bush's administration, then ramping up under Obama, before finally ceasing one year after Trump entered office.

The campaign primarily targeted Taliban and al-Qaeda militants hiding in Pakistan's tribal regions, but it was met with criticism for the significant number of civilian casualties.

There were also regular attacks on NATO supply convoys heading through the Khyber Pass for Afghanistan.

The most infamous case was the 2011 strike that killed Bayatullah Massoud, a notorious Pakistani Taliban leader.

The U.S. argued the strikes were essential for national security.

Many condemned them for infringing on Pakistan's sovereignty and violating human rights.

There is a threat in this region, not just in Pakistan, but across the region.

I've seen absolutely nothing but gratitude for what we are delivering.

For many, Anwar al-Awlaki was a paradox, an American citizen, Western-educated and fluent in English, who rejected his own background in favor of the ideology of al-Qaeda.

Born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, Anwar al-Awlaki was the first American citizen to be targeted and killed by a U.S. drone strike.

Al-Awlaki was a cleric and influential figure in al-Qaeda, who was considered one of the group's most dangerous members due to the attacks he inspired against the West.

Over the past two years, Awlaki had been connected to three attacks against America.

Officials say his emails inspired accused Fort Hood gunman Major Nidal Hassan.

He was linked to the 2009 Fort Hood shooting and the failed underwear bomber plot, in which a man attempted to detonate explosives sewn into his underwear on a commercial airliner.

In 2011, Obama ordered a drone strike in Yemen, which killed al-Awlaki, sparking intense debate over the legality of the action.

Some argued it was necessary to prevent future attacks, while others warned it set a dangerous precedent.

Awlaki, one of the most wanted terrorists in the world, walked out and climbed into a pickup truck. A huge break.

Rafael Trujillo was a notorious dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic with an iron fist from 1930 to 1961.

Under his rule, human rights violations like mass killings, torture, and censorship were rampant.

Despite his extremely far-right ideology, the U.S. initially supported Trujillo, due to his anti-communist beliefs and pro-American stance.

The future will crown the brave, the hard-working people.

And we will walk towards it with confidence, shielded by our commitment to serve humanity.

However, over time, these relations deteriorated, especially when Trujillo tried to assassinate Venezuelan President Romelon Betancourt.

The CIA then orchestrated a plot to eliminate him, and in 1961, he was ambushed and killed by Dominican rebels supported by the agency.

His death created a power vacuum and ultimately resulted in a civil war, after which the U.S. supported the election of another far-right leader, Joaquin Balaguer.

Patrice Lumumba became the Congo's first prime minister after it gained independence in 1960.

But he was only in office for a few months before he fell out with the country's former colonial ruler.

The first prime minister of Congo, Patrice Lumumba was a charismatic and humanist leader who garnered widespread support with his message of unity and self-determination.

However, soon after Lumumba took office, an army mutiny broke out, which caused him to seek help from the United States and the UN.

With a delayed response from both parties, he turned to the Soviet Union, a move that alarmed the U.S. amid Cold War tensions.

Patrice Lumumba's tooth is all that was left of him after he was killed.

Belgium returning it to his family is being welcomed as a first step.

As a result, the U.S. supported a coup led by Colonel Joseph Mabutu, during which Lumumba was captured and executed by firing squad.

This action seemed to have been supported by President Dwight Eisenhower, who reportedly once said he wished Lumumba would, quote, fall into a river full of crocodiles.

All resistance inside Lamanada was now at an end.

The prisoners were forced out into the street, where firing continued between soldiers and the snipers in the Ministry of Public Works.

However, his election was vehemently opposed by Richard Nixon, who viewed Allende as a threat to U.S. interests in South America.

Under Nixon's administration, the CIA authorized Project Foobelt, a covert operation aimed at destabilizing Chile and removing Allende from power.

By 1973, these efforts culminated in U.S.-backed military officials storming the presidential palace to overthrow him.

Allende refused to resign and delivered a final radio address emphasizing his commitment to democracy.

His dead body was pulled out from the national palace during a U.S.-backed military coup that helped define the Cold War.

It is believed that he then ended his life with his own rifle, although many still dispute this ruling.

Following the coup, Chile fell under a repressive military dictatorship that lasted until 1990.

Operation Condor was a campaign to politically repress and terrorize South America in the 70s and 80s.

It began in 1975 and involved the collaboration of numerous right-wing dictatorships, including Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

These governments collaborated closely, shared intelligence that enabled cross-border kidnappings, torture, and executions of suspected opponents.

America provided significant financial support, and it resulted in the disappearance of thousands.

You suggested that there might be some kind of

American police assistance program down here?

I'd like you to know that nothing of that sort exists in this country.

It remains one of the most severe violations of human rights in history, with an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 people killed or vanished.

Its legacy still haunts those nations today, and it stands as a frightening example of the lengths the U.S. went to to suppress left-wing dissent.

Many of these military regimes had negotiated their own way out of power.

Many included a provision of impunity because, of course, the military regimes wanted to make sure that what had been taking place during their time in power would not be investigated.

Muammar Gaddafi was a controversial dictator who ruled Libya from 1969 until 2011.

He came into power in a coup which overthrew the previous king and established an authoritarian regime featuring a unique blend of socialism and Arab nationalism.

During his rule, he regularly violated human rights and supported numerous militant groups around the world, giving him a reputation as a sponsor of terrorism.

In 2011, the Arab Spring sparked widespread uprisings across the region, including Libya, where it resulted in Gaddafi's government being overthrown.

He created an insular world that he ruled with an iron fist.

As you drove through the streets of Tripoli, the capital, his image was everywhere, and he loomed large within even his own family.

The unrest soon escalated into a civil war, which NATO promptly intervened in.

Libyan rebels ultimately captured and killed Gaddafi in October 2011.

Most importantly, I'm proud of what the Libyan people have achieved, and I think they've got an enormous opportunity ahead of them.

Ngo Dinh Diem became South Vietnam's first president after the withdrawal of France from the region.

His leadership was strongly supported by the United States due to his staunch opposition to communism.

However, Diem was an inhumane leader whose regime was marked by repressive policies and the persecution of Buddhists.

Seeing his rule as increasingly unstable, the Kennedy administration, through the CIA, ultimately sanctioned a group of South Vietnamese generals to stage a coup.

This November 1963 coup proved successful, and Diem and his brother were eventually captured and assassinated.

Diem and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, had fled the palace in disguise.

They were later captured only to die in an armored car that was taking them to prison.

The event only deepened the regional instability, leading to a succession of weak governments and drawing the U.S. further into the devastating conflict that was the Vietnam War.

I think harmonious relations with the U.S. would be very good for us from the economical point of view, more than in any other field.

One of the key figures in the Cuban Revolution,

Che Guevara was instrumental in helping Fidel Castro overthrow the U.S.-backed regime of Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

He soon became an advocate for spreading socialism worldwide, leading guerrilla efforts in Africa and Latin America.

After getting involved in the Congo crisis,

Guevara moved to Bolivia to ignite a rebellion against the government, but he struggled to gain local support.

His insurgency was soon cornered by the Bolivian army, with support from the CIA, which sought to curb communist influence in Latin America.

In October 1967, Guevara was captured and executed under orders from the Bolivian government with CIA approval.

His death turned him into a martyr for revolutionary causes worldwide.

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She says Osama Bin Laden didn't communicate with his al-Qaeda associates for three years because he was on the run.

It's still unknown exactly where he was hiding.