Three Kurd rebels, Turkish guard killed in SE Turkey

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Three Kurdish separatist rebels and one pro-government guard were killed on Sunday in a clash in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast region, security officials said.

The clash occurred in Diyarbakir province as security forces step up an offensive against rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) across the southeast region.

The pro-government official killed was a "village guard", who help troops in the fight against the PKK. The state Anatolian news agency said the guard was a senior member of the local administration, representing the Turkish nationalist MHP.

Violence has escalated recently as PKK fighters enter Turkey from mountain bases in nearby northern Iraq. Turkey has beefed up its forces along the border, sparking talk of a possible army incursion into Iraq to hit the PKK bases.

On Saturday, three soldiers, including two officers, were killed when rebels remotely detonated a landmine in Sirnak province close to the Iraqi border.

The rising tide of violence is putting more pressure on Turkey's government, which faces a challenge from nationalist parties like the MHP in July national elections, to crack down harder on the Kurdish rebels.