A mayor and nine others were killed early Friday in the Philippines after a gun battle broke out between the men and anti-narcotics officers, police say.
President Rodrigo Duterte has famously declared he would be "happy to slaughter" all drug addicts, and since taking office June 30, police estimate that more than 3,600 suspected drug dealers and addicts have been killed. Police say that Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom of Datu Saudi Ampatuan and nine others were approaching a checkpoint in North Cotabato province when they opened fire from three cars. Superintendent Bernard Tayong told The Associated Press that Duterte had named Dimaukom as one of several politicians he suspected was involved in illegal drugs.
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