A French army convoy leaves camp at sunrise on November 2, 2013, during Operation Hydra near Gao in northern Mali. The troubled west African nation and its allies launched Operation Hydra on October 20, 2013 after being taken aback by a recent upsurge in violence in the north, according to Jean-Herve Jezequel, an analyst in Dakar for the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank. About 1,500 troops are involved, including some 600 French, 600 Malians and 300 UN soldiers, and the operation is expected to last "as least 10 days", according to a Malian military source. AFP PHOTO/PHILIPPE DESMAZES (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)
