Terrorists have shot 15 soldiers and three civilians dead in a co-ordinated attacks in the south-west of Mali.
Jihadist insurgency is seriously raging in Mali.
A statement said the assaults on military camps in Sokolo and near Kalumba were repulsed with almost 50 militants being killed.
A third attack near Mopti caused no casualties, the BBC reports.
Mali has seen a decade-long insurgency by militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
The country’s military authorities have begun turning to Russia for help, after rejecting long-standing French support.
The Economic Community of West Arica (ECOWAS) is trying to bring back democratic government in the country after a coup toppled an elected government in May 2021.