Over 5,900 deaths in Philippines 'war on drugs'

President Rodrigo Duterte who assumed office in May on a platform of cracking down on crime, particularly illegal drugs, came down heavily on drug cartels, reported CNN on Tuesday.

Manila, Dec 13 There have been 5,927 deaths linked to the "war on drugs" in the Philippines since July 1 according to statistics released by its national police.

President Rodrigo Duterte who assumed office in May on a platform of cracking down on crime, particularly illegal drugs, came down heavily on drug cartels, reported CNN on Tuesday.

Since taking office, his police force has waged a bloody war on drug dealers and users, resulting in the deaths of thousands of suspects at the hands of police and vigilantes.

The figures released by the Philippine National Police on Monday span the period from July 1 to December 12.

Of the total, 2,086 were killed in police operations and 3,841 in extrajudicial or vigilante-style killings. More than 40,000 suspects have been arrested.

Although, Washington was critical of the handling of drug dealers, but on December 3, President-elect Donald Trump told the Duterte that he was going about his fight against drugs "the right way," according to Duterte.

The Police force also said that since July, more than five million houses were visited as part of an anti-drug campaign.

IANS