Troops kill NPA leader in Misamis Occidental clash
ZAMBOANGA CITY - Troops killed a commander of the New People's Army (NPA) during an encounter in Misamis Occidental, a military official said Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Rommel Almaria, commanding officer of the Army's 55th Infantry Battalion, identified the slain NPA commander as Henry Celajes alias Jongjong, a native of Davao.
Almaria said the troops were conducting combat operations when they clashed with Celajes and at least 20 of his men in Sitio Kapehan, Barangay Gala in Tudela town at around 3 p.m. on Monday.
He said the rebels retreated after 20 minutes of firefight.
Almaria said that Celajes was the mastermind in the series of extortion activities in Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Sur.
He added that the rebel commander also led the harassment of a farm and torching of several heavy equipment in Josefina town.
"These bandits belong to the notorious extortion unit of the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee," the military official said.
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