The first Central Intelligence Agency team entered Iraq on 10 July 2002 . This team was sent to persuade the commanders of Iraq military to surrender, on 20 March 2003 the surprise military invasion of Iraq began. There was no declaration of war. When Ṣaddam refused to leave Iraq, The 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by U.S. Army General Tommy Franks, under the code name "Operation Iraqi Freedom", the UK codename Operation Telic, and the Australian codename Operation Falconer. 40 government joined the attack, the "Coalition of the Willing," participated by providing troops, equipment, services, security, and special forces, with 248000 soldiers from the United States, 45000 British soldiers, 2000 Australian soldiers and 194 Polish soldiers from