French army watches for bombs and potholes as it withdraws from Mali base

FILE PHOTO: A French soldier leaves with his backpack at the Operational Desert Platform Camp (PfOD) during the Operation Barkhane in Gao, Mali, August 1, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

GOSSI, Mali (Reuters) - The French military left a remote base in northern Mali before dawn last week for the last time, one hundred vehicles forming a miles-long convoy across the barren desert terrain.

Helicopters whirred above, air support for hundreds of troops in trucks and armoured cars leaving the camp near the town of Gossi. A team of sappers led the way, looking for explosives hidden on the sandy floor.