AP Philippine president tells Obama 'you can go to hell' in latest tirade

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has told President Barack Obama "you can go to hell" in his latest tirade against the U.S. over its criticism of his deadly anti-drug campaign.

He also lashed out anew at the European Union in a speech Tuesday saying the 28-nation bloc, which has also criticized his brutal crackdown, "better choose purgatory, hell is filled up."


Duterte, who took office in June, has been hypersensitive to criticisms over his anti-drug fight, which has left more than an estimated 3,000 suspected drug dealers and pushers dead in just three months, alarming the United Nations, the E.U., the U.S. and human rights watchdogs.

Angered by the U.S. criticism, Duterte has declared he wants to reduce the presence of U.S. troops in the country.

