diff --git a/contrib/completions/bash/runc b/contrib/completions/bash/runc
index 682b7c62..d73af773 100644
--- a/contrib/completions/bash/runc
+++ b/contrib/completions/bash/runc
@@ -325,6 +325,8 @@ _runc_kill() {
 	local boolean_options="
 	   --help
 	   -h
+          --all
+          -a
 	"
 
 	case "$prev" in
diff --git a/delete.go b/delete.go
index 75a62994..43f53fc5 100644
--- a/delete.go
+++ b/delete.go
@@ -14,10 +14,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 func killContainer(container libcontainer.Container) error {
-	container.Signal(syscall.SIGKILL)
+	container.Signal(syscall.SIGKILL, false)
 	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
 		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
-		if err := container.Signal(syscall.Signal(0)); err != nil {
+		if err := container.Signal(syscall.Signal(0), false); err != nil {
 			destroy(container)
 			return nil
 		}
diff --git a/kill.go b/kill.go
index 3fb80c08..78e4c18a 100644
--- a/kill.go
+++ b/kill.go
@@ -62,6 +62,12 @@ For example, if the container id is "ubuntu01" the following will send a "KILL"
 signal to the init process of the "ubuntu01" container:
 	 
        # runc kill ubuntu01 KILL`,
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		cli.BoolFlag{
+			Name:  "all, a",
+			Usage: "send the specified signal to all processes inside the container",
+		},
+	},
 	Action: func(context *cli.Context) error {
 		container, err := getContainer(context)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -77,7 +83,7 @@ signal to the init process of the "ubuntu01" container:
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if err := container.Signal(signal); err != nil {
+		if err := container.Signal(signal, context.Bool("all")); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 		return nil
diff --git a/libcontainer/container.go b/libcontainer/container.go
index 2950a83e..d51b159b 100644
--- a/libcontainer/container.go
+++ b/libcontainer/container.go
@@ -145,9 +145,12 @@ type BaseContainer interface {
 
 	// Signal sends the provided signal code to the container's initial process.
 	//
+	// If all is specified the signal is sent to all processes in the container
+	// including the initial process.
+	//
 	// errors:
 	// SystemError - System error.
-	Signal(s os.Signal) error
+	Signal(s os.Signal, all bool) error
 
 	// Exec signals the container to exec the users process at the end of the init.
 	//
diff --git a/libcontainer/container_linux.go b/libcontainer/container_linux.go
index 4ba2735d..82c6d8e4 100644
--- a/libcontainer/container_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/container_linux.go
@@ -282,7 +282,10 @@ func (c *linuxContainer) start(process *Process, isInit bool) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (c *linuxContainer) Signal(s os.Signal) error {
+func (c *linuxContainer) Signal(s os.Signal, all bool) error {
+	if all {
+		return signalAllProcesses(c.cgroupManager, s)
+	}
 	if err := c.initProcess.signal(s); err != nil {
 		return newSystemErrorWithCause(err, "signaling init process")
 	}
diff --git a/libcontainer/init_linux.go b/libcontainer/init_linux.go
index b1e6762e..aeccadd9 100644
--- a/libcontainer/init_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/init_linux.go
@@ -334,10 +334,10 @@ func setOomScoreAdj(oomScoreAdj int, pid int) error {
 	return ioutil.WriteFile(path, []byte(strconv.Itoa(oomScoreAdj)), 0600)
 }
 
-// killCgroupProcesses freezes then iterates over all the processes inside the
+// signalAllProcesses freezes then iterates over all the processes inside the
 // manager's cgroups sending a SIGKILL to each process then waiting for them to
 // exit.
-func killCgroupProcesses(m cgroups.Manager) error {
+func signalAllProcesses(m cgroups.Manager, s os.Signal) error {
 	var procs []*os.Process
 	if err := m.Freeze(configs.Frozen); err != nil {
 		logrus.Warn(err)
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ func killCgroupProcesses(m cgroups.Manager) error {
 			continue
 		}
 		procs = append(procs, p)
-		if err := p.Kill(); err != nil {
+		if err := p.Signal(s); err != nil {
 			logrus.Warn(err)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/libcontainer/process_linux.go b/libcontainer/process_linux.go
index d2da7fbd..4b54e4b2 100644
--- a/libcontainer/process_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/process_linux.go
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ func (p *initProcess) wait() (*os.ProcessState, error) {
 	}
 	// we should kill all processes in cgroup when init is died if we use host PID namespace
 	if p.sharePidns {
-		killCgroupProcesses(p.manager)
+		signalAllProcesses(p.manager, syscall.SIGKILL)
 	}
 	return p.cmd.ProcessState, nil
 }
diff --git a/libcontainer/state_linux.go b/libcontainer/state_linux.go
index d8ea4009..7aab4606 100644
--- a/libcontainer/state_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/state_linux.go
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ type containerState interface {
 
 func destroy(c *linuxContainer) error {
 	if !c.config.Namespaces.Contains(configs.NEWPID) {
-		if err := killCgroupProcesses(c.cgroupManager); err != nil {
+		if err := signalAllProcesses(c.cgroupManager, syscall.SIGKILL); err != nil {
 			logrus.Warn(err)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/man/runc-kill.8.md b/man/runc-kill.8.md
index 65642d64..3566e5f3 100644
--- a/man/runc-kill.8.md
+++ b/man/runc-kill.8.md
@@ -2,11 +2,14 @@
    runc kill - kill sends the specified signal (default: SIGTERM) to the container's init process
 
 # SYNOPSIS
-   runc kill <container-id> <signal>
+   runc kill [command options] <container-id> <signal>
 
 Where "<container-id>" is the name for the instance of the container and
 "<signal>" is the signal to be sent to the init process.
 
+# OPTIONS
+   --all, -a  send the specified signal to all processes inside the container
+
 # EXAMPLE
 
 For example, if the container id is "ubuntu01" the following will send a "KILL"