Three Malian soldiers died in a militants’ attack on a military unit in the central part of the country, the army said in a statement on Thursday.
The army added that five others were injured in the attack.
The army is said to have captured two military vehicles left at the site of the attack.
The situation in Mali was significantly destabilised over a coup that overthrew elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Aug. 18.
The heads of state of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Monday gave the military junta in the country until Sept. 15 to name a transitional president and a prime minister.
ECOWAS maintained sanctions it had placed on Mali. The bloc had closed its borders with landlocked Mali and halted financial flows amid concerns from some West African leaders the military coup could undermine their power and democratic gains in the region.
A group of army colonels has ruled Mali since ousting President Keita on Aug. 18. No consensus has yet been reached on the make-up and duration of a transitional government ahead of promised elections.
ECOWAS is calling for a swift return to civilian rule and a vote within a year, a timeline the junta, the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), has not committed to.
ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, said both the president and prime minister must be appointed by Sept. 15 at the latest.