Also on Tuesday, a Yemeni Cabinet member became the first to forcefully criticize the U.S. drone strikes in public. Yemeni human rights minister Hooria Mashhour denounced the drone strikes and called on the Yemeni government to conduct ground operations instead of allowing pilotless U.S. bombings from the sky. Mashhour said: “[Fighting terrorism] can be applied without harming civilians and without leading to human rights violations. … The [U.S.] declared [militants] as enemies who could be targeted wherever they are found. All we are calling for is justice and reliance on international regulations … and to be true to our commitment to our citizens in that they all deserve a fair trial.”