Signed interim Iraq flag : Trooper L E M Poppins, SECDET XII

Interim 2008 Iraq flag made from rayon, with gold nylon tasselling to all edges except the hoist. The design is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and black charged with the takbir ['Allahu Akbar', or 'God is great'] in kufic script in green centered on the white stripe. Most of the red and white sections are signed in black texta by members of SECDET XII, with their names spelt out under each signature.

Names appearing on the flag are

[Red section]: Pte Upton I42C; Pte Maxwell I42D; Pte SG Crooks I42C; Pte Holden I42A; Pte CK Briggs I41D; Pte BJ Golding I41A; Pte RAA Wilson I42B; Cpl B Peters V48; Sgt A Caputo I42C; Pte Michael Vavtier I41F & I41C; (corporal stripes) I41B '08 Lanno; I42F Mick Jenkins; Pte Harris I42A; Lt N Gerhardt OC42; Flemmo Gr Flemming SECDET Clk; Tpr A Turner V43D OP; Pte Hoad, JM I41-2Sect; Pte Townsend 8515692; I Fontuo (?); Pte Brelin I41F; WO2 Armstrong CSM SECDET XII; Sgt DL Green Catering Sgt; Cpl A Bartley 4-2A; Cpl Bull SC Cell; Maj M Neich OC SECDET XII; Capt AP O'Donnell XO SECDET XII; Capt NA Pierpoint CIC MP CPPT; Pte R Webster 4IA; Lt Thapthimtheng I41 PI CCMD; Cpl Wright 42B; Pte Corby I42E; LCpl P Summersgill 42D; Pte Kerr G5; Pte Payne I41C; Pte Riseley 42C; LCpl Alpert (Al) G5; Tpr Kyle Purdy Y45C; Cpl Luxford I41A; Pte Thomson I42A; Cpl Smallacombe V43B; Pte Spinks I41B; Tpr Anthony Cowling V43D; Pte Moat I41F; Pte Cooper I42B; Pte Brown I42D; Sgt Eadie MP CAJ Team; Cpl Renee Phillips MP Chick; Tpr TM Brosnan V43C; Pte Simon Ison I41D; Sgt H McPhee MP CPP; Cpl A Wilcox V43E; Tpr M Henley V43F; Pte Sean Gerrity I41E.

[White section]: Tpr SP Lynch V43A; LCpl JJ Woo I41F; L Cpl Butler I41E; Cpl J Murphy 'Starlight', 'Flubes', 'Ranga', 'Murf'; Pte Daniels I41D; Cpl McDonough I41C; Tpr J Seymour V43A; Cpl J Smith CPP Team; Pte JL Barnes I41B; Pte BJ Boller I42E; Pte Hickey I42E; WO2 Mick Frawley ASM; Cpl M Roach V43D; Pte Addock; Sgt Lowndes SQ; Cpl Paul Veitch S6 Cell; WO2 Tassie Michell WO Caterer; Lt Uli Polatos S6 Cell; WO2 Brendan Pieschel MP CPPT; Pte Macphail I41F; Staff Hall S Sgt SECDET XII CQMS; CFN Bailey V48; Cpl CJ Dunne V21C; Tpr Hoccano 'Dutchy' V43A; Sgt Andrew Campbell S2 Cell; Cpl Nathan Allen; Easty [?] I42E; Lt Craig Malcolm V43 "Forward"; Tpr Lachlan Poppins V43B; Sig Lee Smith S6 Cell; LCpl Shankster; Fred MP; Tpr L Nixon 'Niko' V43E; Muz I42F; Cheno I41D; Sharpsta Pte Sharples I41B; Sgt Morrison CPPT; Sgt C Eynon V43A; Sgt FT Davis; [?] V43F 07/08; Pte Hanson I41A; J Bell 24/03/2008 Pte Bell, Andrew I42D; Tpr Karl McDonald V43B; The King Kitchie V43; Cpl Chown V48; Cpl Leon Whelan CPPT; PJ Brown (the good one) I42B; Kris Stocker S6 Cell Vault critter; Pte A Leonard I41C; Cpl SH Weber V48; Tpr MJ Torres (V43 Fox); Cpl S Hagan CPPT; Sgt Saintsbury CPPT; Cpl Rogan CPPT MP.

Iraqi flag signed by members of SECDET XII (2007/08 deployment). SECDET XII included D Company, 6 RAR, a troop from 2/14 LHR (QMI) operating ASLAVs, 7 Combat Service Support Battalion, and elements of 3 Combat Signals Regiment and 1 Military Police Battalion - a total of some 110 personnel, commanded by Major Mark Neich, from D Company, 6 RAR. It appears that most have signed the flag.

The unit served in Baghdad from September 2007 until March 2008, providing support and protection to the Australian Embassy, personnel and vehicle convoys. This ongoing contriubution to post-war Iraq was known as Operation KRUGER.

This Iraqi flag is an important relic in its own right as it is the interim design chosen in 2008 to be used for one year while a new design is contemplated, but remains current. In the previous design the words Allah Akbar were reproduced in Saddam Hussain's own handwriting. This was changed to tradition kufic script, and the stars previously used were dropped.