In central Mali, "six terrorists (were) neutralised" in heavy fighting in the commune of Mondoro following an attack on a military patrol on July 14, the army said in a statement.

It also said it "neutralised" two "armed terrorist groups" the same day in the Sokolo area, and seven other "terrorists" in the communes of Kolongo, Niaro and Pogo.

By the end of operations on July 18, it said, it had neutralised two "terrorists" in the commune of Timissa, eight in the village of Tiemaba and seven in Gnawouro.

Elsewhere, "18 terrorists" suffered the same fate on the stretch of road linking the central town of Douentza with the city of Gao, in the east, according to the statement.

Thousands of people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in a jihadist campaign that began in northern Mali in 2012 and later spread to Niger and Burkina Faso.