Gen Ham said Malian troops were given plenty of tactical training, but not enough ethics training.
BBC: Mali crisis: US admits mistakes in training local troops
The rebels were repelled after two hours of fierce fighting, a Malian army official said.
She also confirmed that among the deceased was a Malian who lived in Lome.
For its part, the Malian military is poorly equipped to take the lead in the war.
The first fully trained battalion of Malian troops is expected to be operational in July.
The French military joined the Malian army Sunday to fight the Islamic radicals, said Timbuktu residents.
He said French planes were circling overhead and French and Malian forces were fighting the jihadists.
In March 2012, junior Malian military officers mutinied, overthrowing the civilian government in Bamako.
The French attacked a vehicle and two Malian soldiers suffered minor injuries, said the French spokesman.
The French arrival at Kidal airport came only 24 hours after securing Timbuktu with Malian forces.
BBC: Mali conflict: Sandstorm 'blocks' French troops advance
This is in support of Malian troops fighting Islamist extremists in the west African country.
BBC: Malian troops boarding a French military transport plane
Your visit, Madam Director-General, was highly appreciated and the Malian people expect a lot from UNESCO.
Soon thereafter, he lost his job -- once again displaying the complete dysfunction of Malian politics.
The Malian military was low on morale and equipment, the distances vast and the territory difficult.
Several Algerian commentators stress their country's vulnerability to attack in the wake of the Malian crisis.
In Algeria itself, commentators see the hostage crisis as an inevitable consequence of the Malian conflict.
Human rights groups have accused the Malian army of targeting ethnic Tuareg and Arab civilians.
BBC: French troops in Mali take Kidal, last Islamist holdout
It is supposedly held by a dispirited mix of Malian troops, gendarmes, national guard and police.
The Malian army initially rejected the allegations of soldiers summarily killing people as "completely false".
Kidal remains the only major town not under the control of French and Malian forces.
Malian and French military officials have repeatedly called for respect of international law and human rights.
The UN says some 144, 500 Malian refugees have been registered in neighbouring countries since April 2012.
Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o, who plays for Inter Milan, and Malian Seydou Keita, complete the five-man shortlist.
France has 2, 150 soldiers on Malian soil, with 1, 000 more troops supporting the operation from elsewhere.
They brought Malian forces along with them, partly as a public relations exercise, he says.
At least 11 Malian soldiers and a French helicopter pilot have died in Mali.
Malian soldiers have fired on Islamist fighters in the centre of the country, military sources say.
French and Malian forces retook a key city from militants Friday, a French source said.
We are not in a position to train the Malian military until we have democracy restored.
But French and Malian military officials say the assaults are against rebel strongholds, not civilians.
应用推荐