COTABATO CITY – A former town mayor accused by President Rodrigo Duterte as a drug lord was killed along with his brother in separate anti-narcotics operations Friday in southern Philippines.
Both Talib Abo Sr, who served as mayor of Parang town, was slain in a firefight at his home, while Disumimba Abo, a town councilor in Parang, was also killed in Cotabato City, according to the police.
Members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the local police force were involved in the operations. The two brothers reportedly engaged the lawmen – who were serving warrants – in a gunfight and eventually killed.
There was no report of casualties on the side of the lawmen.
Duterte tagged the former mayor as one of the so-called “narco” politicians after his name was included in the government’s drug list. Over two dozen politicians, mostly mayors and deputy mayors, linked by Duterte to illegal drugs, had been killed the past two years. One of them, Albuera town mayor Rolando Espinosa, was slain by policemen while inside his jail.
Thousands of civilians, including teenagers and women, implicated in illegal drug trade, had been killed in anti-narcotics operations by the police after they allegedly resisted arrest and engaged cops in firefight. Others were murdered by motorcycle gunmen. (With a report from Rhoderick Benez.)
20
