Here's the soldier in Niono, Mali, on Jan. 20:
And here's the character his mask is based on:
AFP photographer Issouf Sanogo explains the moments leading up to the shot:
"A helicopter was coming in to land and churning up tremendous dust clouds. Instinctively, all the soldiers grabbed their scarfs to avoid getting a mouthful of sand. It was evening, and rays of sunlight were pushing through the trees and into the dust clouds. It was a lovely light. I spotted this soldier wearing a strange scarf and took the photo. At the time, nothing about the scene seemed especially unusual or shocking. The soldier wasn't posing and there was nothing staged about the image. He was just standing there, protecting his face from the dust, waiting for the chopper to land. No one tried to stop me shooting the picture."
Military spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard says the army is working to identify the soldier. It's unclear what disciplinary action will be taken against him.
