March 2, 2026: One of the many unusual tactics employed by Ukraine against Russian invaders is a large number of decapitation operations. This has resulted in the deaths, so far, of thirteen generals and over 300 lower ranking officers. These included 42 colonels, who often command brigades or serve as senior staff officers and planners. The rest of the dead were lieutenant colonels and majors.

Russia had to deal with the threat of American decapitation attacks during the 1948-91 Cold War. In 1983 the United States sent highly accurate Pershing II missiles to West Germany. These missiles had a range of 1,700 kilometers and the 5 kiloton nuclear warhead was designed to reach underground bunkers before detonating. The guidance system used a mechanical inertial guidance system that used a targeting radar during final approach. In tests this regularly had the warhead landing within 15 meters of the aiming point. The Americans could eliminate all major Russian headquarters in eastern Europe and western Russia. Russia agreed to remove all their ballistic missiles from eastern Europe and return them to Russia if the U.S. would withdraw the Pershing missiles. Russia still believes the Americans are planning to launch extensive decapitation attacks on them in the event of a war.

More recently Israel has used decapitation attacks against Iran in June of last year. These air strikes killed dozens of key military personnel and scientists working on nuclear weapons projects. Earlier Israel had eliminated or hospitalized most of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia leaders by using pagers these key personnel carried. All at once the pagers exploded, because Israeli operatives had modified these devices by adding a small explosive charge and a detonator activated remotely by Mossad, the Israeli foreign intelligence agency.

For more than three decades the United States has been eliminating the senior ISIL/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant leadership and this effort has been successful. The second most senior ISIL leader Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli died when his vehicle was attacked by American commandos in helicopters. The U.S. troops had been tracking Qaduli for several days waiting for an opportunity to capture him. Qaduli’s vehicle was attacked in an uninhabited area on the Syria side of the Iraq border. Qaduli and his three companions fought back and all were killed. The commandos did recover cell phones, computers and other electronics. But the American really wanted to interrogate Qaduli, who was noted as a good strategist, manager and leader. This was why he was next in line to be supreme leader of ISIL.

It takes more than drones and commandos to carry out these decapitation and kill the leaders' efforts. Cash rewards also help. In 2015 the U.S. announced $20 million in rewards for information leading to the capture or killing of four senior ISIL leaders. These included Abd al Rahman Mustafa al Qaduli a former al Qaeda-in-Iraq leader who joined ISIL in 2012, Abu Mohammed al Adnani the official spokesman and face of ISIL, Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili a senior combat commander and Tariq Bin al Tahar Bin al Falih al Awni al Harzi commander of all suicide bombing operations as well as forces in northeastern Syria. Adnani was badly wounded by a missile attack. The other three were killed. Details of how the cash rewards work are not revealed because it is widely known that those who inform on their leaders are often hunted down and killed, along with their families. That, like cash rewards or bribes, are ancient practices that still work.

Going after senior leaders, especially those with unique skills like organizing and training suicide bombers, has been shown to be one of the most effective tactics for crippling and destroying an Islamic terrorist organization. Decapitation tactics proved successful in Iraq before U.S. troops left in 2011, and earlier in Israel where it was developed to deal with the Palestinian terror campaign that began in 2000. The Israelis were very successful with their decapitation program, which reduced Israeli civilian terrorist deaths within five years from over 400 a year to less than ten.

Actually decapitation tactics are an ancient practice. American troops have used similar tactics many times in the past in World War II, 1960s Vietnam, the Philippines over a century ago, and in 18th century colonial America, but tend to forget after a generation or so. Some things have to be relearned. So successful has decapitation been that in 2013 Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan openly called for supporters to help develop methods, electronic or otherwise, to deal with the American drones that constantly patrolled terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan’s Waziristan and Afghanistan’s border area and constantly found and killed Islamic terrorist leaders with missiles. This has led to the deaths of hundreds of key terrorist personnel and, despite the heavy use of civilians as human shields, few civilian deaths. The Taliban were increasingly frustrated at their inability to deal with this.

For a long time the U.S. either denied these drone missile attacks were going on or refused to comment. The impact of these attacks on terrorist operations and the morale of terrorist leadership led to the United States to openly admitting the attacks and confirming that they would continue. They work and are a weapon unique in military history. Wars have always included attempts to gain victory, or at least an edge, by going after the enemy leaders and other key people. This has always been difficult because the enemy leaders know they are targets and take extensive precautions to protect themselves, the royal guard, food tasters, and all that. This no longer works and terrorist leaders are scrambling to find ways to avoid this lethal retribution for their wickedness. Islamic terrorists also use decapitation but their favored weapon is the suicide bomber.

Islamic terrorism is disrupted not destroyed by these decapitation tactics. The problem is that Islamic terrorism and attacks on non-Moslems are encouraged in Islamic scripture, which makes it unique among major religions. That is another problem that a growing number of Moslems are finally confronting. Meanwhile the Islamic terrorists keep killing. Most of their victims have always been Moslems but modern technology, cheap international travel and global news media and all the oil money in the Middle East have led to some damage in the non-Moslem world. As in the past, the non-Moslems react and defend themselves. The cure is always temporary for only Moslems themselves can cure the disease.