A mother-of-one aid worker has been identified as the American civilian gunned down in the Mali massacre on Friday.
Anita Datar, 41, had been working in Bamako, Mali’s capital, as a U.S. envoy for international development firm Palladium when Islamist militants stormed her hotel on Friday morning.
Normally based in Washington, D.C., the New Jersey native who specialized in public health is survived by her elementary school-aged son, Rohan.
Datar’s family said in a statement on Friday: ‘We are devastated that Anita is gone – it’s unbelievable to us that she has been killed in this senseless act of violence and terrorism.
‘Anita was one of the kindest and most generous people we know. 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.
‘And while we are angry and saddened that she has been killed, we know that she would want to promote education and healthcare to prevent violence and poverty at home and abroad, not intolerance.’
Datar was one of 27 people slaughtered on Friday when Islamist militants stormed a hotel and took 170 people hostage for seven hours.