Back in February, the only way to reach the city of Gao in northern Mali was to hitch a ride with the French convoys that rolled through the desert every few days. Along the way, a VICE production crew made friends with some French soldiers and chatted with them about what they thought about this grueling campaign as well as the greatest threat they face: homemade bombs, a.k.a. IEDs.More from Mali:Ground Zero: Mali - Under Sharia LawMachetes and Motorbikes at Mali's Sangue-Mo Fishing FestivalAl Qaeda Wants Africa