Breaking News - Eerie photo of French soldier in Mali upsets officials

[NewsCaster]

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  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 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.  




NBCNews