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Africa Subsaharan
'We are not messengers of death in Mali', says French colonel
2013-01-24
The French military has distanced itself from a photograph taken during its operations in Mali, after the image of a soldier with his face obscured by a menacing skull bandana went viral.
Oh, noze! Not a bandana!
The French army issued a statement repudiating the use of the bandana, which is sold as an accessory of the violent computer game, Call of Duty. Colonel Thierry Burkhardt, spokesman for the French chiefs of staff, said the image "is not at all representative of the action undertaken in France in Mali at the request of the Malian state".
Ummm? An accessory to a video game? That's the worst they can come up with?
"Far from being messengers of death", Colonel Burkhardt went on, French soldiers were "risking their own lives" to prevent Mali from becoming a terrorist state controlled by militant Islamists.
They're killing only turbans, not everyone in sight. But if one of them wears a skull bandana any professionalism in that is negated. Res ipsa loquitur.
The photograph was taken last weekend near Niono in central Mali as French and Malian forces advanced to regain ground from a loose alliance of Islamist groups which control the immense deserts and semi-deserts of the north of the country. More than 2,300 French soldiers have arrived in Mali since the operation began.
Posted by:tipper

#8  Uhhhh ... excuse me folks. I see those masks on motorcycle riders ALL the time on the freeways of Los Angeles. It ain't exactly a big deal.
Posted by: Raider   2013-01-24 17:57  

#7  LOL and cold.
Posted by: Shipman   2013-01-24 15:43  

#6  'We are not messengers of death in Mali'

"We bring grooming tips"?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2013-01-24 13:57  

#5  Considering that the Media has this nasty little habit of identifying Western combatants for the jihadists's convenience, perhaps the entire force should consider wearing them.
Posted by: Pappy   2013-01-24 13:53  

#4  'We are not messengers of death in Mali', says French colonel...

..cause Messengers of Death(c) is copyrighted by WOW. We're just everyday harvesters of souls.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2013-01-24 11:49  

#3  Ditto. Maybe it is better to get a reputation of messengers of death rather than community organizers who indulge in conflict resolution.
Posted by: JohnQC   2013-01-24 09:33  

#2  Skull Bandana Motorccle(sic) Face Mask
Posted by: tipper   2013-01-24 09:03  

#1  Uh, maybe you should be? You know, let the bad guys know you are serious? Just a thought...
Posted by: Griter Crart8496   2013-01-24 09:01  

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