Rep. Ilhan Omar’s father was a “feared” colonel in the Somali National Army (SNA), far from the “educator” he was presented to Americans as, a veteran who served in his regiment claimed to The Post.
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who → present → Post
Nur Omar Mohamed has been accused of hiding his military past from US authorities when he arrived and claimed asylum with his family in 1995 — which could have disqualified him from claiming refugee status.
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which → accuse → status
A retired military officer still living in Somalia has spoken out for the first time to shed light on the “career soldier” who was a trusted operator in dictator Siad Barre’s brutal regime.
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who → live → regime
“I used to serve in the military with Nur, he was the colonel of my regiment and I would see him face-to-face,” the veteran, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, told The Post.
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who → use → Post
And no one gets to that position by being a nice guy.
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one → get → position
“I remember him always dressed in a smart military uniform with his rifle hanging off a strap behind him.
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rifle → remember → him
Some people were scared of him and would look away when he walked past.”
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he → scar → him
The former soldier is confused as to why Omar, 44, portrayed her father, who died in 2020, as a teacher in her 2020 memoir “My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman.”
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who → confuse → Congresswoman
He was one of those picked to be trained in Egypt in the 60s.
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He → pick → 60s
He rose very quickly to the top of the military and became a trusted man [in the regime].
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He → rise → regime
”
Nur went on to play an “important part” in the Somali-Ethiopian war between July 1977 and March 1978, the former army officer claimed.
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officer → go → July
“He worked with the masterminds of the invasion and was trusted with the plans, he helped organize the troops.
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he → work → troops
But a lot of people died in that war,” he told The Post.
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he → die → Post
If it emerges Nur lied on US immigration forms, it could have implications for his children who emigrated with him.
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who → emerge → him
Omar has denied she ever committed any kind of immigration fraud.
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she → deny → fraud
Her representatives declined to comment to The Post.
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representatives → decline → Post
Omar’s father, who died from COVID-19 complications aged 67, is said to have joined the SNA in the late ‘60s and specialized in air defense before moving into the infantry.
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who → die → infantry
He allegedly played a key role in Barre’s army after the bloodthirsty dictator seized power in a Soviet-backed coup in 1969.
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dictator → play → 1969
Nur, born in the Somali coastal town of Bandarbeyla, part of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, climbed up the military ranks to colonel.
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Nur → bear → colonel
But his “prestigious” military career came to an end when Barre was ousted in 1991 after two decades of oppression that saw up to 200,000 civilians killed and millions displaced.
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millions → come → oppression
Here’s the latest on the ongoing immigration investigation of Rep. Ilhan Omar
Although there is no evidence of Nur committing war crimes, expert historian Mohamed Haji Ingiriis has accused him of being complicit in Barre’s regime and said that he “assisted the dictator to remain in power for so long”.
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he → be → long
Nur went with his family to a refugee camp in Kenya before arriving in the US as refugees, settling in Minneapolis.
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Nur → go → Minneapolis
Nur worked as a taxi driver and postal worker to make ends meet.
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ends → work → driver
However, sources told The Post that for years after arriving in America, he was still involved in local politics in Puntland and was advising the troops in clan wars.
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he → tell → wars
“He was a real military man, it was his whole life,” the veteran in Somalia added.
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veteran → add → Somalia
The Trump administration is building a case that could lead to her deportation with federal agents seizing her cellphone, notebooks, personal computers and her passport, according to people familiar with the investigation.
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agents → build → investigation
The Aporia
