Turkish police have detained two British journalists from Vice News for reporting from the predominantly Kurdish southeast without government accreditation, security sources said on Friday.

Police detained Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury in the Baglar district of Diyarbakir province, where they were filming clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants, the sources said.

The two Britons and their Turkish translator were in close contact with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants, the same sources said.

A 2-1/2-year-old ceasefire between Turkey and Kurdish militants collapsed in July after a group close to Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels shot dead two police officers. Ankara retaliated with strikes against the group in Iraq and Turkey.

Vice News describes itself as an international news organization that focuses on under-reported stories around the globe.