Landmine kills 4 Turkish police officers

Four Turkish police officers were killed on Monday when their armored vehicle was hit by a landmine in the southeast province of Sirnak, local media reported.

The attack took place in the Silopi district of Sirnak province bordering Iraq and Syria and was blamed on armed separatists.

Meanwhile, a Turkish soldier was killed and seven injured when Kurdish fighters opened fire on a military helicopter in a separate attack in Sirnak, the military said in a statement.

The attacks come at a time of a sharp spike in violence between Turkey's security forces and militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey is also taking a more active role against Daesh militants in Syria.