Former Iraqi officer Flaih Jihad was never wounded in combat but he almost lost his leg when he stepped on a mine as he sneaked illegally into EU member Cyprus to seek asylum.

The former general in the presidential guard of executed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein survived unscathed from the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war, the 2003 US-led invasion of his country and two assassination attempts.

Now he hobbles painfully on a deformed heel but is happy to be alive after spending the first four months of his European dream in a hospital bed.