Ref. 23589-02"MY country is born again" - those were the jubilant words with which an Iraqi surgeon living in Swindon greeted the news that the world's most hated man had been captured.

Thamir Yasen, an eye surgeon at the Great Western Hospital, lived under Saddam Hussein's bloodthirsty rule and had three nephews tortured and murdered by his henchmen.

The 52-year-old, who has three brothers and two sisters living in Iraq, was elated after hearing that Saddam had been captured.

American troops found the former dictator hiding in the cellar of a farmhouse near his home town of Tikrit on Saturday.

Mr Yasen, from Lawn, who has lived in the UK since 1981, said: "I am overjoyed, my telephone hasn't stopped ringing with friends and family calling me.

"This is a new beginning, my country is born again.

"I saw what he did to his own people, and I have been praying for this moment for so long."

He is also pleased Saddam was captured by US troops, and not Iraqis.

"The Iraqis would have killed him, and I am glad he will face the humiliation he deserves," he said.

"This is what I wanted. Three of my nephews were killed by his men.

"They brought the body parts of two of them back to the family, who were forced to celebrate the death of someone opposed to Saddam."

The body of the other nephew has never been found.

Mr Yasen witnessed other examples of Saddam's brutality.

As an eye specialist at Baghdad's Medical City Teaching Hospital, he was forced to visit the city's jails to remove eyes from corpses of men killed by Saddam's soldiers for transplant operations.

Anti-war protesters in Swindon said that Saddam's capture did not justify the invasion of Iraq.

Andy Newman, of Swindon Stop the War Coalition, was attending an anti-American convention in the Egyptian capital Cairo when the news broke.

He said: "Saddam was a terrible dictator, but if he is going to be in an international court then so should Tony Blair and George Bush.

"They have kidnapped the president of an independent country which they invaded illegally.

"If he is to face trial it should be by the Iraqi people."

Nearly 40 reservists attached to the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry took part in the Iraq war.

Christina Hyde's son Andrew, 28, went as a specialist in nuclear, chemical and biological weapons decontamin- ation.

Christina, from Shrivenham, said: "Andrew is in South Africa getting married, but I'm sure he will be delighted at the news.

"They fought to get rid of Saddam, and now he will face justice." Conservative MP for North Wiltshire MP, James Gray recently spoke out in favour of the Government going to war without consulting Parliament.

He said: "I hope he faces the consequences of his crimes.

"I also believe that without a leader, the forces still attacking the coalition troops will stop."