Two police officers were killed, another police was injured after PKK terrorists opened fire near a checkpoint in Turkey's southern Hatay province near the Syrian border, reports said Monday.

The incident took place Sunday night near Tayfur Sökmen District Traffic Directorate, where police were carrying out regular checks on vehicles passing by.

PKK terrorists opened fire during the checks and fled the scene after police responded to the fire.

Officers injured in the attack were immediately taken to the hospital by ambulances but two of them succumbed to their wounds, while the other one remains in critical condition, a statement by Hatay Governorate said.

Police made a blockade around the area following the attack and launched a citywide operation to capture the terrorists.

The vehicle used by the terrorists was reportedly found abandoned in Alahan district and police investigation continues.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.

Founded in 1978, the terrorist group resumed its decades-long armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, more than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives, while the terrorist group has lost some 10,000 militants, who were either killed or apprehended in anti-terror operations by the Turkish security forces.