Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar claimed in a resurfaced tweet that "thousands of Somalis [were] killed by the American forces" during a 1993 military operation in Mogadishu even though multiple sources say that the death toll was much lower, according to a report published by the website Investigative Project on Terrorism.
Omar’s October 2017 tweet, which was discovered by journalist John Rossomando, came after a Twitter user highlighted that more than a dozen U.S. soldiers were killed and another 73 were wounded in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, describing it as the “worst terrorist attack in Somalia history”.
READ MORE: GOP Congressman Dan Crenshaw Scolds Ilhan Omar for 9/11 Remarks
Many remain at odds over the number of Somali casualties in this military operation; estimates range between 133 and 1,000. However, there are no reports of “thousands of Somalis” being killed in the fighting.
Meanwhile, many netizens reacted angrily to Omar’s resurfaced tweet, demanding that she should “be removed from the office” and claiming that “she is not fit to serve” the US.
Other went even further by describing her as “a terrorist is sheep’s clothing” and arguing that “her mission is to destroy the US from within”.
A Somali refugee and one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, Omar had previously made a number of controversial statements. In February, she asked if the US’ Venezuela envoy Elliott Abrams if he would support genocide.
Most recently, Omar described the 9/11 terror attack as “some people did something”, prompting an uproar from Republicans.