U.S. Stopped Philippines Rifle Sale That Senator Opposed - Source

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...e-mayor-killed-in-shooting/article9310392.ece
A Mayor on Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s list of top drugs suspects was killed during a shoot-out at a prison on Saturday, police said, in the latest high-profile killing in his war on narcotics.

Rolando Espinosa, Mayor of Albuera town in central Leyte Province, turned himself in to the national police chief in August after Mr. Duterte asked him and his son, Kerwin, to surrender over their involvement in the drug trade. Mr. Espinosa was later allowed to go home but on Oct. 5 was arrested on charges of illegal possession of drugs and firearms.

The shoot-out took place after Mr. Espinosa and inmate Raul Yap fired at a team from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group who was on a mission to serve a search warrant agains them for firearms and drugs, police said. — Reuters

 

[Cossack25A1]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...e-mayor-killed-in-shooting/article9310392.ece
A Mayor on Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s list of top drugs suspects was killed during a shoot-out at a prison on Saturday, police said, in the latest high-profile killing in his war on narcotics.

Rolando Espinosa, Mayor of Albuera town in central Leyte Province, turned himself in to the national police chief in August after Mr. Duterte asked him and his son, Kerwin, to surrender over their involvement in the drug trade. Mr. Espinosa was later allowed to go home but on Oct. 5 was arrested on charges of illegal possession of drugs and firearms.

The shoot-out took place after Mr. Espinosa and inmate Raul Yap fired at a team from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group who was on a mission to serve a search warrant agains them for firearms and drugs, police said. — Reuters

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[ahojunk]

Philippine's Duterte cancels police rifle deal with U.S.
| Mon Nov 7, 2016 | 4:18am EST | Reuters


President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the cancellation on Monday of Philippine's purchase of police rifles from the United States, after U.S. senatorial aides said last month that Washington was halting the sale due to concerns about human rights violations.

"We will not insist on buying expensive arms from the United States. We can always get them somewhere else. I am ordering the police to cancel it. We don't need them," Duterte said in a televised speech at a event attended by Muslim rebel leaders.

"We will just have to look for another source that is cheaper and maybe as durable and as good as those made in the place we are ordering them," Duterte said.

The relationship between the United States and the Philippines, a long-time ally, has been complicated lately by Duterte's angry reaction to criticism from Washington of his violent battle to rid the country of illegal drugs.

More than 2,300 people have been killed in police operations or by suspected vigilantes as part of government's anti-narcotics efforts, which was the linchpin of his election campaign.

Last month, Senate aides told Reuters that the U.S. State Department halted the planned sale of some 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines' national police after Senator Ben Cardin said he would oppose it because of concerns about human rights violations.

Duterte has said in the past that Russia and China had shown willingness to sell arms to the Philippines.



(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)