 He also indicated that his father, a well-known local religious leader, had visited him several times and helped convince him to defect.However, a spokesman for al-Shabaab denied that Sheikh Bakistani was a member of the group.During the same month, in an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Villa Somalia arranged by the Somali federal government, one former al-Shabaab fighter reported being disillusioned with the group's direction, indicating that while he began fighting in 2006 "to kick out the Ethiopian invaders", he defected a month ago, "disgusted by the false interpretations al-Shabaab give of Islam".