Duterte seeks Chinese weapons to fight IS

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has asked China to help equip the Philippines’ armed forces as he ordered “full-press” military operations against terror organizations in Mindanao, particularly the Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups, which have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS).

In a news conference late Sunday after a command conference with the military and police in Malacañang, Duterte said he had sent an “urgent message” to China to help his administration by providing “precision-guided arms.”