Buzz
Various governments globally maintain covert lists targeting individuals for elimination. These lists often include names of those accused by authorities of being terrorists or spies. However, as we will discover, this is not always the case. Activists, journalists, and even human rights defenders have also been marked.
Few governments openly admit to possessing such lists. Those that do often avoid labeling them as hit lists, opting for alternative terms instead. Moreover, they seldom engage in public discussions about the matter. Below are 10 governments known to have or have had such lists in the past.
10. United States
The US government operates a semi-secret target list known as the “disposition matrix,” which details the names, locations, and preferred elimination methods for individuals deemed threats to the United States.
Although the list's existence is widely known, its contents remain classified. During Barack Obama's presidency, decisions about who was added to the list were made in weekly meetings dubbed “Terror Tuesday” by the media. Obama only gave final approval, while US military, intelligence officials, and occasionally the British government proposed names.
Once a name was approved, the military and the CIA would track and eliminate the targets using drone strikes or covert operations by special forces. In rare cases, suspects were captured and interrogated. Most targets were alleged jihadists located in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia.
The disposition matrix has faced criticism for allegedly including individuals who may not be terrorists. Drone strikes have also resulted in significant civilian casualties. From 2001 to 2013, over 400 Pakistanis were killed in 330 US drone strikes. Despite this, the US government denies that the disposition matrix is a kill list, asserting it is a defensive measure against threats to national security.
9. China
The existence of an active target list in China remains unverified. However, in 2010, its Ministry of State Security executed more than 30 CIA operatives within its borders. This operation began when the Ministry, akin to the CIA, successfully penetrated a CIA spy network in China.
During that period, the CIA relied on relatively basic technology for communications, which lacked encryption. Operatives were utilizing standard laptops and desktops, a system initially designed for use in Middle Eastern nations with limited counterintelligence resources.
The CIA faced significant setbacks as China's robust counterintelligence operations effectively monitored and intercepted these unsecured communications, leading to the elimination of the operatives. China's precision in targeting only genuine CIA agents underscores its operational expertise. While 30 deaths were confirmed, some intelligence analysts suggest the actual number could be higher.
8. Britain
The British authorities maintain a targeted list, predominantly featuring their own nationals. Several years prior, intelligence bodies such as MI5, MI6, and the Government Communications Headquarters compiled a roster of 200 Britons who had aligned themselves with the Islamic State.
At the peak of its influence, numerous British nationals enlisted with the Islamic State. While the exact number remains unclear, estimates suggest approximately 700 individuals. Concerns over potential terrorist activities led Britain to identify and target the top 200, among whom were 12 specialists in explosives.
This list was handed over to Special Air Service operatives deployed within Iraq. Their mission was to locate and eliminate these extremists, with provisions to apprehend certain individuals. Additionally, the British government utilized drones to neutralize some of these threats.
7. France
During Francois Hollande's presidency, France maintained a targeted list, modeled after the US disposition matrix. This list included individuals accused of hostage-taking or actions detrimental to French interests, primarily located in Syria and Africa's Sahel region.
The French administration, mirroring US terminology, referred to these actions as “strategic objective neutralizations,” “targeted eliminations,” or “homicide operations,” avoiding terms like “murders” or “assassinations.” Lacking attack drones, France utilized manned aircraft for these operations.
In some instances, France shared intelligence with the US, which then executed the targets via drones. Details on France's list remain scarce due to the country's discretion regarding such operations. It is known, however, that the list was a collaborative effort between the French military and the Directorate-General for External Security, akin to the CIA.
6. Germany
Although Germany does not directly engage in targeted operations, it maintains a list of individuals for elimination. The responsibility for executing these actions falls to the United States. Germany provides target details to the US, which incorporates them into the Joint Prioritized Effects List (JPEL), a comprehensive roster of 3,000 individuals including drug traffickers, Taliban members, and Al-Qaeda operatives active in Afghanistan.
Individuals on the JPEL are pursued by Task Force 373 (now known as Task Force 3-10), a covert US unit in Afghanistan. The unit is authorized to either capture or eliminate listed targets, though lethal force is frequently employed due to the challenges of apprehending individuals who resist or attempt to escape.
5. Russia
The presence of a kill list under the secretive Russian government remains unconfirmed. Russia denies having such a list, and neither the US nor NATO has accused Russia of maintaining one. However, Ukraine asserts otherwise.
In 2018, Ukraine alleged that Russia had identified 47 Russian and Ukrainian journalists for targeted killings. This revelation followed a staged assassination of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko. Initially, news outlets reported Babchenko's death in his Kiev residence, only for him to reappear the following day, alive and well.
Babchenko and Ukrainian officials clarified that the fabricated assassination aimed to expose Russia's alleged scheme to eliminate him and others. While the Ukrainian government did not elaborate on how this ruse unveiled Russia's purported plan, it proceeded to disclose a list of 47 individuals supposedly targeted by Russia.
4. Iran
CIA operatives in Iran relied on the same compromised communication system that led to their exposure in China. Iran intercepted these communications, identified multiple CIA agents, and subsequently eliminated them. Notably, Iran uncovered the communication flaw first and could have alerted China.
Iran's awareness of the spy network grew after suspicions arose that CIA operatives were monitoring its nuclear initiatives. A CIA double agent revealed a covert website used for communication with agents in Iran. Realizing this was not the sole platform, Iran sought out additional sites.
Iran employed a search engine (Google) to locate hidden CIA websites online. Upon discovery, they monitored, apprehended, and executed CIA agents accessing these sites, with only a handful escaping. Iran disseminated this intelligence to allied nations, including China, which then utilized it to identify and eliminate CIA operatives within its borders.
John Reidy, a former CIA contractor, criticized the agency for the failed operation. Reidy had identified the vulnerability years prior and alerted the CIA, only to be dismissed.
3. Sri Lanka
In 2010, it came to light that the Sri Lankan government maintained a covert list targeting 35 journalists and NGO workers. The nation’s intelligence agency allegedly prioritized these individuals based on their significance. However, no actions were taken against them before the list was exposed.
Among the targets was J.C. Weliamuna, the Sri Lankan head of Transparency International. Two years prior, he narrowly survived an alleged assassination attempt when an unidentified assailant hurled a grenade into his residence.
The assault was thought to be orchestrated by the Sri Lankan defense ministry, angered by Weliamuna's representation of individuals in human rights cases against the ministry. No official investigation into the incident was ever conducted.
Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu of the Center for Policy Alternatives, a Sri Lankan NGO, was also listed. He faced death threats in 2009, a year before the list's leak. Since 2006, the Sri Lankan government has been linked to the torture, murder, and forced disappearances of 14 journalists.
The Sri Lankan government refuted claims of maintaining a hit list, though officials acknowledged plans to surveil certain groups. Amnesty International asserted that the government had deliberately compiled and leaked the list to instill fear among NGO workers and journalists in the country.
2. Israel
Israel has always been transparent about its targeted list. In August 2001, it publicly disclosed a list of seven Palestinians marked for elimination, citing the Palestinian Authority's refusal to hand them over following terrorist acts against Israel.
Some analysts believe the release of the list was a strategic public relations move by Israel, aimed at demonstrating that it only targeted Palestinians who refused to cooperate. The action also served as a psychological tactic to pressure the individuals to flee and cease further attacks against Israel.
Israel employs various methods to eliminate individuals on its list, including snipers and helicopter-launched missiles. Unconventional tactics, such as rigging targets' phones with explosives, are also used. Like other nations, Israel avoids the term “assassinations,” instead referring to these actions as “targeted killings.”
Palestinians frequently fall victim to Israel’s targeted operations, a practice that has sparked significant controversy in Gaza and the West Bank. Helicopter missile strikes have resulted in numerous civilian casualties, fueling anti-Israeli sentiments in Palestinian-controlled areas of the West Bank.
1. Philippines
The Philippine government maintains a semi-public list of 649 individuals labeled as terrorists. The list came to light when the government sought court approval to officially designate these individuals as terrorists, which would have implicitly granted the state authority to execute them.
Interestingly, the list included names of non-terrorists, such as Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, a United Nations human rights representative in the Philippines. Many of those listed are recognized activists rather than terrorists. In some cases, the government omitted actual names, using placeholders like “John Doe” or “Jane Doe,” allowing for names to be added later.
The Philippine government maintained that those on the list were affiliated with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed faction, the New People’s Army (NPA). Human Rights Watch criticized the list, viewing it as President Rodrigo Duterte’s strategy to eliminate political opponents and critics.
