US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld hailed Sunday the capture of ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein,saying the Iraqi people "have now been liberated."

"Today is a momentous day for the Iraqi people,"Rumsfeld said in a statement issued by the Pentagon."The Iraqi people have now been liberated in spirit as well as in fact."

"Today,many Iraqis can dare to believe what we have said from the beginning:that the era of brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein is over.His terrorist regime is finished."

Rumsfeld said the capture of Saddam on Saturday was the result of "close coordination of intelligence and a rapid,skillfully-executed military action by US forces."

"Challenges remain,to be sure,"Rumsfeld said."But as President Bush said today,the United States will see this missionthrough,"he said,referring to a nationally televised speech delivered by President George W.Bush earlier at the White House.

Saddam,who had been on the run for eight months since the US-led coalition force invaded Baghdad on April 9,was captured by the US forces in an underground hole at a farmhouse,15km south of Tikrit,his hometown in northern Iraq,at 8:30p.m.(1730GMT)Saturday.

Rumsfeld first broke the news of possible capture of Saddam in a telephone call to Bush Saturday afternoon while the president was at Camp David.Bush got the final confirmation from National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice at 5:14a.m.EST (1014GMT)Sunday.