More carnage in Manila: The bloodied body of a dealer lies in the street after he is shot dead by police as the Philippines' brutal war on narcotics intensifies

A suspected drug dealer was killed after resisting arrest in the Philippines as the country continues its bloody war on narcotics.

Pictures have emerged of a man lying bloodied and motionless on the streets of Manila after he reportedly fought back during a drug bust operation. It is thought he died at the scene.

It is the latest in a spate of killings of suspected drug dealers in the Philippines after President Rodrigo Duterte warned of widespread bloodshed as part of the government's war on drugs.

According to media reports, nearly a thousand people have been killed since President Duterte won a landslide election victory in May, largely on a pledge to kill tens of thousands of criminals.

'These sons of w****s are destroying our children. I warn you, don't go into that, even if you're a policeman, because I will really kill you,' the president told an audience during a speech in Manila.

He vowed on one occasion during the election campaign that 100,000 people would die, and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish there would grow fat from feeding on them, according to theSouth China Morning Post. 

Mr Duterte made it clear he would pardon police if they were charged with human rights violations for carrying out his merciless orders.

The bloodshed has begun to inflame diplomatic tensions, with the US embassy warning the Duterte government military aid allotted to the Philippines was tied to adherence to the rule of law, due process and respect for human rights.

'We are concerned by reports regarding extrajudicial killings of individuals suspected to have been involved in drug activity in the Philippines,' the embassy said.

'We strongly urge the Philippines to ensure its law enforcement efforts are consistent with its human rights obligations,' the embassy added.

A Philippine foreign department statement said that Manila was focused on the eradication of drugs in society.

'Nevertheless, while pursuing this objective, the Philippine government is committed to the rule of law, and the protection of human rights for all.

'We do not condone any unlawful killings and Philippine authorities have been instructed to immediately look into these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice.'

Philippine police said they had killed 550 drug suspects while arresting nearly 8,000 others since the May election.

But ABS-CBN, the country's largest broadcaster, said more than 400 other people have been killed since then by shadowy assassins who leave cardboard signs beside their victims accusing them of narcotics crimes.

Police said that while it was investigating these other killings, no suspects had been arrested.

One of the nation's top human rights lawyers, Jose Manuel Diokno, warned that Duterte had 'spawned a nuclear explosion of violence that is spiralling out of control and creating a nation without judges'.

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