In February 2016, Asiri declared: "Now our rules of engagement are: you are close to the border, you are killed."[9] This statement was once again criticised by Human Rights Watch who replied: "Treating an entire area as the object of military attack violates the laws-of-war prohibition on attacks that treat distinct military objectives in a city, town or area as a single military objective. Doing so unlawfully denies civilians protection from attack.[10]