Somali pirates and a current stronghold of Al-Shabaab, the Somali Islamist movement opposing the government.The marines are said to have used a helicopter to reach the remote location.
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Mohamed Bashir Mohamed told Shabelle that he was one of the three men flown by the American marines to a navy ship, off the coast. According to Bashir's tale, the Americans kept the Somali men on a large ship for three hours and asked them whether they were pirates.
Having responded that they were not pirates, they were asked other questions such as where the pirates spend when they receive ransom money and who controlled the nearby Haradhere town.
He said that they responded knowing that Al-Shabaab controls the district, but nothing about pirates' money.
The group was told that the American marines had their photos and that they were bandidos.