(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/130122-mali-scarf-5p.photoblog900.jpg)Issouf Sanogo / AFP - Getty ImagesA French soldier wearing a skeleton mask stands next to a tank in a street in Niono, Mali. By Isolde Raftery, Staff Writer, NBC NewsThe image was taken innocently enough: A landing helicopter kicked up a dust storm as French soldiers moved toward Niono, in northern Mali, an area held by al-Qaida.
Follow @NBCNewsWorld (https://twitter.com/NBCNewsWorld) The soldiers pulled on their goggles to protect their eyes from the dust. One soldier pulled up a black bandana -- with a white skeleton face printed on it -- over his nose. Behind him, light beamed through tree branches, creating an otherworldly image -- the soldier looked like a skeleton in French military fatigues.
Photographer Issouf Sanogo of the Agence France-Presse news agency and Yann Foreix of Le Parisien were drawn to the soldier, whom they photographed. The bandana is an accessory (http://www.amazon.com/Bandana-Motorcycle-Skeleton-Paintball-Airsoft/product-reviews/B001R2DEXU)sold for fans of the violent military game “Call of Duty.” At first glance, the soldier bears eerie resemblance the character Ghost from the video game (http://callofdutyfilms.webs.com/ghost.htm).
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