Military personnel were attacked on Monday by more than 30 people near the state capital Culiacan, and the ensuing firefight left 19 cartel members dead, the ministry said in a statement.

Sinaloa has seen a surge in violence since the July arrest of the cartel's co-founder Ismael Zambada in the United States.

Zambada's arrest triggered a war between his relatives and the sons of drug trafficker Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who co-founded the cartel.

The ministry of defense said the cartel members killed on Monday were presumed to be linked to Zambada's faction.

Zambada, 76, was arrested on July 25 in the southern United States, where he landed with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of "El Chapo's" sons.

The veteran drug trafficker has accused Lopez of kidnapping him and handing him over to US law enforcement.

"El Chapo" has been serving a life sentence in the United States for drug trafficking since 2019.

Spiraling criminal violence, much of it linked to drug trafficking and gangs, has seen more than 450,000 people murdered in Mexico since 2006.