Duterte to involve military in drugs war

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he will sign an executive order to involve the military in the controversial "war on drugs" that has left more than 7,000 people dead in seven months, the media reported.

Duterte made the announcement in a speech in his hometown, Davao, where he also confirmed that at the moment the police will not carry out more operations related to this campaign, Efe news reported.

"I'm taking in the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and raising the issue of drugs as a national security threat so that I will call on all the armed forces to assist," Duterte said.

The President, who did not offer details of how the troops would contribute in his anti-drug war, also warned of more deaths to drug traffickers and addicts.

Duterte's anti-drug campaign began on June 30, 2016, the day he was sworn in, and most of the killings have been extrajudicial.

The announcement comes after the war on drugs was temporarily suspended, following the murder of a South Korean businessman who, according to human rights activists, was privy to corruption in the security forces.

Duterte promised to focus in the short term on rooting out corruption from the National Police, before resuming his anti-drug campaign and carrying on with it until the end of his term in 2022.

Amnesty International presented a report on Wednesday accusing the Duterte-led government of committing crimes against humanity in his anti-drug campaign, which includes contract killings, falsification of statements and reports and burglary by the police.

--IANS

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