An American woman who grew up in New Jersey was among those killed in the terror attack Friday inside a hotel packed with foreigners in Mali's capital, State Department officials and family members say.
Anita Ashok Datar died in the attack that killed at least 20 people, officials said.
Datar, the mother of a young son, worked in global health and international development and devoted her life to service, her family wrote in a statement. She was 41.
"Anita was one of the kindest and most generous people we know," her family said. "She loved her family and her work tremendously. Everything she did in her life she did to help others -- as a mother, public health expert, daughter, sister and friend."
Datar worked in Washington, D.C. for Palladium Group, Inc., an international development firm, according to her LinkedIn page. She was a founding board member of the nonprofit Tulalens, which works to connect women in developing countries with health services.
The Massachusetts native was raised in New Jersey and graduated from Mount Olive High School in Flanders in 1991. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal and earned degrees from Rutgers University and Columbia University, where she studied public health and public administration. Datar had most recently been living in Takoma Park, Maryland. She is survived by her son, parents, brother and friends around the world, her family said.
"While we are angry and saddened that she has been killed, we know that she would want to promote education and health care to prevent violence and poverty at home and abroad, not intolerance," her family said.
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Datar's former partner was a senior policy adviser to Hillary Clinton when she was a senator. Clinton said in a statement that she was praying for the couple's 7-year-old son and was heartbroken "thinking of the burden he will now bear on his small shoulders."
“Anita Datar was a bright light who gave help and hope to people in need around the world, especially women and families. ... Anita represented the best of America’s generous spirit," Clinton said.
The Radisson Blu hotel was stormed by Islamic extremists who killed at least 20 people and briefly took scores more people hostage. An al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group claimed credit for the attack, Reuters reported. NBC News could not immediately confirm that.
The Malian ambassador to the United States, Tiena Coulibaly, denounced the violence in his home country.
"Islam is peace. Mali is maybe 85, maybe 90, maybe 95 percent Muslims -- that is peaceful Muslims," he told News4. "What we want is the American people to know that, to understand that, and not make any confusion between the jihadists and the Muslims."
The family said that of all her accomplishments, Datar was "most proud of her son." Her Facebook page is filled with pictures of the boy.
"We mourn American Anita Datar and all those lost in #MaliAttacks," Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted late Friday.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also tweeted his condolences.
"Incredibly sad to hear of loss of NJ's Anita Datar, whose life was taken in the senseless attacks in Mali," he wrote.
