A second-lieutenant serving with 1st Battalion Irish Guards, prepares a large scale map for an orders group, Iraq, 2003

Digital photograph taken by Warrant Officer 2nd Class Giles Penfound, Army Media Operations, Operation TELIC, 28 March 2003.

The invasion of Iraq began on 20 March 2003, after the expiry of an American ultimatum for Saddam Hussein to leave the country. Saddam's refusal to co-operate with United Nations (UN) weapons inspectors and his alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) had formed the main justification for the action. Inspectors later concluded that Iraq had no WMD stockpiles.