Philippines expecting Russian assault rifles

President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday Russia was giving 5,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles to the Philippines in what is believed to be the first ever shipment of Russian weapons to the US ally.

Duterte, who briefly visited Moscow in May as part of a pivot away from Washington, said the arms would soon arrive by ship.

The United States has traditionally been the main supplier of arms to the former American colony.

But the Philippine armed forces, who have been battling both communist insurgents in rural areas and Muslim extremists in Mindanao, remain among the weakest in the region.

“As part of what I got from Russia when we were there for almost 24 hours, we will have the Kalashnikovs,” Duterte told a gathering of soldiers and police.

The Russian embassy declined to comment on Duterte’s announcement.

Duterte did not say which types of rifles from the Russian manufacturer are being shipped to Manila.

“As far as I can remember, the Russians have never supplied us with any form of matériel in the past,” defence department spokesman Arsenio Andolong told AFP.

Duterte, who took office last year, has shaken the Philippines’ 70-year-old alliance with the US as he moves to strengthen ties with China and Russia.

The firebrand leader has sought out other sources of weapons as he angrily rejected US criticism of his deadly war on drugs that has left thousands dead.

Based on the government’s records, more than 3,800 drug suspects have been killed in the deadly crackdown against illegal drugs.

China this year donated about 6,000 rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition to Manila.

The latest shipment, which arrived on October 5, involved over 3,000 assault rifles, ammunition and light scopes worth $3.2 million to the Armed Forces of the Philippines for use in fighting terrorism.

The military has yet to fully liberate Marawi City in Lanao del Sur from Maute fighters who laid siege to the city after a botched government raid to arrest militant leader Isnilon Hapilon.

Officials said Maute-controlled areas are down to five hectares. /