Nur Jasem was 19 at the start of the invasion. She studied law and hoped that the invasion would bring democracy and greater freedom. Her husband Saad Raheem feared the country would be plunged into civil war.
For the couple, who met soon after Saddam Hussein was toppled, the sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims that flared up after the invasion meant that love could have cost them their lives. Suddenly, being married to someone from the other side meant life-threatening danger.
One day Saad received a bullet in the mail, with a warning that he must leave his wife.