“I’m taking in the AFP (Armed Forces of thePhilippines) and raising the issue of drugs as a national security threat sothat I will call on all the armed forces to assist,” Duterte said.
His comments came after Amnesty Internationalcriticised the Philippine police for conducting a violent anti-drug campaign,in which more than 6,500 people died in seven months.
Cracking down on crime is one of Duterte’spriorities, with drug crimes a key focus since he took office last year.
Philippine police have reported killing 2,555people in the drug war, while nearly 4,000 others have died in unexplainedcircumstances, according to official figures.-VNA