WANA, June 21: The head of 'mujahideen' shura in South Waziristan on Monday said they wanted to live in peace with Pakistan, but vowed to continue waging a jihad against the United States.

"We want peace for Pakistan, but not for the US," Haji Muhammad Omar, amir of the mujahideen shura in Waziristan, told Dawn. The hitherto unknown Muhammad Omar called the BBC Pushto Service on Sunday to claim that he had been made the acting commander of the mujahideen in place of Nek Muhammad who had been killed in a missile attack last week.

The 45-year-old former Taliban fighter, however, went back on his earlier statement, saying no decision had so far been made about the appointment of Nek's successor. "We are still in a state of mourning. We will decide about Nek's successor when fateha is over and the shura meets," he said.

Haji Omar, who heads a 12-member mujahideen shura in South Waziristan that oversees recruitment, planning and funding of tribal mujahideen, denied that he had claimed to have become Nek's successor.

"I did not say this. What I said was that the shura would meet soon to decide about Nek's successor." Omar is the younger brother of tribal militants Haji Sharif and Noor Islam. Both are wanted by the government after enjoying a brief period of amnesty. The two are also members of the shura.

Maulavi Abbas and Maulana Abdul Aziz are two other members of the shura and wanted by the authorities for sheltering foreign militants. Locals describe Haji Omar as a serious and sagacious person unlike the 27-year-old Nek Muhammad who was widely known to be an emotional man. Meanwhile, families were seen leaving Kalosha and Azam Warsak after increased presence of local militants.