DHAKA: Philippine anti-narcotics officers gunned down a town mayor and nine of his men in a clash in one of the bloodiest operations since President Rodrigo Duterte launched a crackdown on illegal drugs.

Samsudin Dimaukom, mayor of the southern town of Saudi Ampatuan, was one of more than 150 local government officials, judges and police identified by Duterte earlier this year as being involved in the illegal drug trade.

He ordered them to surrender immediately or be hunted down, reports the Al Jazeera.

The mayor had turned himself in to police but denied he was involved in the illegal drug trade. He had told the media that he was fighting illegal drugs himself and supported Duterte’s crackdown.

The Philippines’ Duterte inches away from US and closer to China

Ahead of the shootout on Friday (October 28), police received information that Dimaukom’s group was planning to transport a ‘huge’ amount of methamphetamine from Davao city, Duterte's hometown, to Maguindanao province, where Saudi Ampatuan is located.

Police spokesman Superintendent Romeo Galgo said Dimaukom and his security personnel opened fire after anti-narcotics police stopped their vehicles at a checkpoint on suspicion they were transporting illegal drugs.

Officers returned fire, killing the men in the town of Makilala, about 950 kilometres south of the capital Manila.

Al Jazeera's Rob McBride, reporting from Manila, said no drugs were found when Dimaukom’s compound was searched at an earlier date.

Duterte, who swept to power in May elections on a pledge to eradicate drugs, has described his critics as ‘fools’ and said he is not breaking any domestic laws by threatening to kill criminals.

After returning from a trip to Japan late Thursday, he threatened to step up police killings of drug suspects.

BDST: 1600 HRS, OCT 28, 2016
BD