Col Souleymane Maiga said the attack took place today in Mali's Segou region, far from the violence in the country's north that has been blamed on remnants of the jihadist groups that used to control that area.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility though suspicion fell on an armed group that is aligned with the Islamic militants from Timbuktu.
A French-led military offensive forced the jihadists from power in early 2013 though two years later violence has been mounting further south than ever.