NY Post Editorial Ties Rep. Omar's Father to Somali Genocide

Rep. Ilhan Omar's father, Nur Omar Mohamed, served as a colonel in the Somali Army during dictator Siad Barre's rule in the 1980s, according to an editorial published Oct. 26, 2026, by the New York Post Editorial Board. The editorial argues that Omar, D-Minn., repeatedly accuses Israel of genocide while her own family's history is tied to a campaign the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group have all described as genocidal.

Omar describes her father in her memoir as an "educator," but the editorial board writes that "it looks like the only educating he did was teaching Barre's enemies lessons in brutality." No response from Omar or her office appears in the editorial.

What did Barre's government do to the Isaaq clan?

The Barre regime's campaign against the Isaaq clan in the late 1980s killed at least 200,000 people and displaced roughly 900,000 more, the editorial states, citing the UN, Human Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group. Government forces strafed civilians as they fled, planted land mines at wells and systematically raped girls and women, according to the editorial's account of the historical record.

By the numbers, per the editorial:

• At least 200,000 killed in the campaign against the Isaaq clan
• Roughly 900,000 displaced
• 1995: the year Omar's family gained asylum in the United States

What role does the editorial say Omar's father played?

Mohamed Haji Ingiriis, a historian and doctoral researcher at Oxford University, told the Post that Nur Said "was a military officer who was loyal to the regime until the end." Ingiriis added: "He was part and parcel of those who caused and created the mayhem they 'fled' to live comfortably in the United States."

How did the family obtain asylum in the United States?

Nur Said and his family left Somalia as refugees after Barre's dictatorship collapsed and were granted asylum in the U.S. in 1995, the editorial says. That grant was improper, the board argues, "as war criminals are not entitled to refugee protections" — a legal standard the editorial asserts but does not attribute to a specific statute or ruling.

What has Omar said about Israel?

The editorial cites past remarks attributed to Omar, including that "Israel has hypnotized the world" and that U.S. policy is "all about the Benjamins, baby." It also says she called Jewish students at Columbia University "pro-genocide" and has repeatedly characterized Israel's military campaign as "genocidal."

Is the genocide question settled either way?

The editorial treats the Isaaq campaign as settled fact based on UN, Human Rights Watch and International Crisis Group assessments, while its characterization of Israel's actions as not genocidal is presented as the board's opinion rather than a cited legal finding. The underlying dispute over whether Israel's campaign in Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide remains contested among international bodies and legal scholars, a distinction the editorial does not resolve.

The full editorial, including additional detail on Omar's finances referenced but not elaborated in the excerpt reviewed, is available at the New York Post.