In his selective memory, he forgets to also mention the thousands of Somalis killed by the American forces that day! #NotTodaySatan https://t.co/wrFocrZymQ
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 16, 2017
Already known for her anti-Semitic tweets and downplaying of 9/11, Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., cast the U.S. Army as the villain in the "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia.
The 2017 tweet by the native Somalian was a response to a tweet noting that 19 American soldiers were killed and 73 American soldiers were wounded in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, reported the Investigative Project on Terrorism.
"In his selective memory, [the writer] forgets to also mention the thousands of Somalis killed by the American forces that day! #NotTodaySatan," Omar wrote while still a Minnesota state legislator.
Omar first came under fire for tweeting in 2012 that "Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel."
In February, she insinuated in a tweet that politicians in the U.S. were bought by AIPAC, the non-partisan group seeking to foster relations between the U.S. and Israel.
She followed that tweet with another that echoed the anti-Semitic "dual loyalty" trope. Pro-Israel activists, she said, were pushing members of Congress to have "allegiance to a foreign country."
The House responded with a resolution that eventually was watered down by majority Democrats, omitting her name and condemning hatred of various kinds.
Last month, in a speech at a fundraiser for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Omar described the 9/11 terror attacks as "some people did something."
American lives lost to save suffering Somalis
IPT noted that her tweet saying that "thousands of Somalis [were] killed by the American forces" exaggerated the Somali death toll and omitted important context.
It completely missed the point of the U.S. involvement in Somalia, said retired Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant, who was shot down in Mogadishu on Oct. 3, 1993.
Durant, who was held captive by the militia loyal to Somali warlord Gen. Mohammed Farah Aidid, told IPTÂ the U.S. military was in Somalia as part of a humanitarian mission to save starving Somalis and protect food and aid from being stolen by warring factions.
IPT said that while casualty counts vary widely, few credible estimates place the figure anywhere near the "thousands" Omar claimed were killed.
Durant said that losses taken on the Somali side "came as a result of their attempts to ambush our ground convoy and flight of aircraft."
"Our forces, being vastly outnumbered, fought to save their own lives. All the Somali militia had to do was walk away, but they persisted," Durant said.
Durant's Black Hawk helicopter, code named "Super 6-4," was shot down after a rocket-propelled grenade hit its tail rotor. Durant was injured, and Delta Force snipers Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon were killed when they joined him trying to keep the Somali militia at bay.
The Somali mob dragged the bodies of Shughart and Gordon through the streets of Mogadishu. Durant was captured and held by Aidid's militia for 11 days.
"Relief organizations from the U.S. and our international partners went to Somalia to try to end the widespread suffering and death from starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somali people," Durant said.
"The mission was an overwhelming success. Without harming a single Somali or destroying any property the military force was able to provide security, open the supply lines and get food, medicine and assistance to the Somali people, effectively ending their suffering. Had the story ended there, Somalia could have gone down as one of the most successful peacekeeping efforts in our military's history."
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