Newly uncovered photos and archival records have raised questions about congresswoman Ilhan Omar's family history, suggesting ties to senior figures in Somalia's former military regime, including Major General Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan, known for overseeing mass atrocities in the late 1980s. The material also scrutinizes Omar's late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, who served as a colonel in the Somali National Army during a period marked by widespread human rights abuses under dictator Mohammed Siad Barre.

While Omar has long portrayed her family as victims of the civil war, critics from Somaliland argue her relatives were part of the regime's state machinery, citing footage and social media posts that show close connections with notorious officials. Human rights investigators say there is no direct evidence linking her father to war crimes, but activists insist that his senior role implies awareness of the atrocities committed.

Omar has dismissed these allegations as politically motivated attacks, maintaining her narrative as a refugee who fled violence. The controversy has intensified calls for transparency, especially given her outspoken stance on human rights abuses elsewhere. The revelations complicate her public image and raise difficult questions about her family's past and her own account of their escape from Somalia.