"According to the information I currently have, we have unfortunately lost five police officers," Idris Naim Sahin was quoted as saying by Anatolia news agency.

Previously, local security sources told AFP that four police officers were killed and five injured in ongoing clashes on the outskirts of Mount Cudi in Sirnak province, near the Syrian border.

In recent times, special police forces have been much involved in the fight against the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), whereas in the past soldiers were detailed to this mission.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and much of the international community, took up arms in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.