Md. leaders release statement on Marylander killed in Mali attack

State leaders from Maryland and family members of the American killed in a terror attack on a hotel in Mali say her life was devoted to helping others.

A statement from the family of 41-year-old Anita Datar of Takoma Park, Maryland, notes that she was a senior manager at Palladium International Development and the mother of a young son.

Senator Mikulski also expressed her condolences in statement sent to 47ABC on Saturday. It read in part, “This is a terrible tragedy. I join the people of Maryland and the nation in expressing my deepest condolences to Ms. Datar’s family and loved ones, in particular her son. Ms. Datar dedicated her life to improving the conditions of others all around the world. Her humanitarian service stands in stark contrast to dark actions of the attackers who perpetrated this senseless violence. Ms. Datar embodied and displayed the best of American values.”

Senator Ben Cardin also released a statement on Saturday, stating the horror overseas is being painfully felt in the state of Maryland.

According to Senator Cardin, “Her work was important as she summoned the best of American values and ideals. Her contributions in Mali and to the international community will live on and I hope her family can seek some solace during this painful time knowing that she lived a life of meaning.”
 

The State Department confirmed that Datar was among at least 20 killed in the terror attack Friday in a hotel in Mali’s capital. She was the only American known to have died in the attack.

In its statement, the family said everything Datar did, “she did to help others – as a mother, public health expert, daughter, sister and friend.”

But of “all her accomplishments,” it said, “she was most proud of her son.”