US Representative Ilhan Omar's father dies due to coronavirus

Father of Somalia-born US Representative Ilhan Omar died on Monday night of

complications

from the novel coronavirus, local media reported.


"It is with tremendous sadness and pain to say goodbye to my father," the

Minnesota congresswoman

tweeted late on Monday. "No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew and loved him."

Omar and her father Nur Mohamed came to

the United States

as refugees in 1995 from Somalia during the country's civil war and eventually settled in Minneapolis, according to Politico.

Omar was elected along with

Michigan

Representative

Rashida Tlaiin

in November 2018 making them among the first two Muslim women to serve in

the US

Congress.

The Minnesota representative did not respond to Reuters request for a comment.