The so-called village guard whose job was to cooperate with the Turkish army in keeping the predominantly Kurdish area safe was on his way to the village of Ramazan, near Tuceli, when his car was stopped by rebels.

He travelled in the company of two other people.

When the rebels, said to have been members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), identified the 65-year-old guard they killed him with an assault rifle, Anatolia said.

The army launched a manhunt to find the killers.

Anatolia did not say when the incident occurred.

The PKK is regarded as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

The nationalists want constitutional recognition for the Kurds, regional self-governance and Kurdish-language education in schools.

The Turkish army holds it responsible for the 45,000 deaths the conflict has caused on both sides.