(Update) Ranking NPA leader in Abra among those killed in clash with soldiers --AFP

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 4): (Update) Ranking NPA leader in Abra among those killed in clash with soldiers --AFP

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said that Arnold Jaramillo, General Secretary of the Abra Political Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA), was among the five rebels killed during a clash with soldiers from the 41st Infantry Battalion in Barangay Guinguinabang, Lacub, Abra Thursday morning.

Northern Luzon Command chief Major Gen. Virgilio Trinidad said that Jaramillo's remains were positively identified and recovered by the military from the clash site together with the bodies of the other NPA fatalities.

Also recovered were seven weapons consisting of two "Baby" Armalites, one M-16 automatic rifle, one carbine, one M-1 Garand rifle and two .45 caliber pistols, along with two ICOM radios.

Major Emmanuel Garcia, 1st Civil Relations Group commander, earlier said the firefight started at 5 a.m. when 41st Infantry Battalion troopers located an NPA camp in the above-mentioned area.

Around 50 heavily-armed NPA fighters, 15 of them females, were present at the time of discovery.

In the issuing firefight, five rebels were immediately killed.

Garcia said the operations against the rebels stemmed from civilian reports of NPA extortion and recruitment attempts.

Garcia said the NPA force was training its recruits when surprised by the military.

Pursuit operations are still ongoing as of this posting, Garcia added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=680405