WorldMANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered police to halt activities in his deadly war on drugs and leave all operations to the drug enforcement agency, amid unprecedented scrutiny of police conduct. The order could blunt the intensity of the crackdown, since the drug enforcement agency has only a fraction of the manpower of the 190,000-strong police. But it was not the first time the mercurial leader has decreed that the agency lead the drugs war. Its aim was “to bring order to the operation or campaign against illegal drugs, thus pinpointing precise accountability”, the document said. Police and drug enforcement agency spokesman said the two agencies would follow the president’s decision, but did not elaborate.

Source: Sunday Times October 11, 2017 09:11 UTC