One day after a faction of the Somali Islamist militia Hizbul Islam occupied the central Somali pirate town of Harardhere, Hizbul Islam spokesman Sheikh Mohamed Abdi Aros said May 3 that the group would seek to end piracy off the Somali coast and vowed to free any hostages and ships fleeing pirates left behind. Aros then said the militia had no immediate plans to move on to the next pirate town up the coast in order to achieve this goal, saying, "First, we want to stabilize (Harardhere) and clear it of pirates." It is currently unclear to which of the four Hizbul Islam factions Aros belongs.