Philippines raids against drug suspects result in 9 deaths

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine police, backed by troops, killed nine drug suspects and arrested more than 100 others in two days of raids that ended Thursday in a central province as the government pressed a crackdown that has left more than 4,800 suspects dead.

Regional police chief Superintendent Debold Sinas said the nine suspects were killed separately in gunbattles with law enforcers in dozens of coordinated raids from Wednesday to Thursday noon in central Cebu province. Nearly 1,000 small plastic bags of methamphetamine, a banned stimulant, and 78 firearms were seized in the raids, he said.

“All nine suspects exchanged fire with my men after sensing they were dealing with undercover officers,” Sinas said of the slain suspects.

Police said 103 of the 117 suspects arrested in the raids in Cebu have been linked to illegal drugs. The law enforcers served more than 70 search warrants in houses of drug suspects and 11 other search warrants for people suspected of illegally possessing firearms and ammunition, they said.

President Rodrigo Duterte has said his war on drugs will be “as relentless and chilling” as when he opened it after taking office in June 2016 despite facing two complaints on accusations of mass murder before the International Criminal Court and criticism from Western governments and U.N. watchdogs.