The rebel fighter killed by a patrol in Ordu province belonged to a group who launched an attack on supporters of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May, the province's vice governor said, according to the state agency.

A rebel commando unit belonging to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) killed a policeman and injured another when they attacked a police car escorting ruling party supporters from a town where Erdogan had held a rally ahead of June 12 elections.

Clashes between security forces and the PKK have increased since the elections. On June 16, 13 soldiers were killed in Diyarbakir province, the worst loss of life for the army since October 2008. Seven PKK rebels were also killed in the assault.

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