Somalia's defence minister backs U.S. congresswoman Ilhan Omar after Trump criticism
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Staff Reporter GAROWE ONLINE
- Posted On 21-09-2025, 08:24AM
MOGADISHU – Somalia's Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi expressed support on Saturday for U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar after U.S. President Donald Trump criticised her Somali origins in a social media post.
In a statement on Facebook, Fiqi said he stood with Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, describing her as a role model who had achieved success independently.
“If our daughter is being targeted for her identity, I will stand firmly with her,” Fiqi wrote. “As the Somali defence minister, I am making it clear that I stand with Ilhan.”
Trump renewed attacks on Omar on Thursday, calling for her impeachment and criticising her birthplace. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he wrote:
“Somalia is consistently ranked among the World’s Most Corrupt Countries... and Ilhan Omar tells us how to run America!”
Omar, born in Somalia and raised in the United States, has frequently been targeted by Trump and his supporters. In 2019, he told her and three other congresswomen of colour to “go back” to the countries they came from — remarks widely condemned as racist.
Omar represents Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, which includes a large Somali-American population.
GAROWE ONLINE
