US Army (USA) Soldiers assigned to C/Company, 1ST Battlion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, provide security at the front gate of the State Company for Drug Industries and Medical Appliances building in Samarra, Iraq. A large crowd of demonstrators gathered to protest the US Military presence at the building, during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM

Iraq War aka Operation IRAQI FREEDOM was the 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by U.S. Army General Tommy Franks, under the code-name "Operation Iraqi Freedom". 248,000 soldiers from the United States, 45,000 British soldiers, 2,000 Australian soldiers and 194 Polish soldiers from Special Forces unit GROM sent to Kuwait for the invasion. The invasion force was also supported by Iraqi Kurdish militia troops, estimated to number upwards of 70,000.