Direct proof of use
The clearest public record for the 12-gauge shotgun in the 2003 Iraq War is a December 2004 American Forces Press Service story hosted by DVIDS. It reported that Iraqi security forces continued to receive large Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq weapons and materiel shipments in November 2004.
That rollout included 48 shotguns and 450,000 12-gauge shotgun rounds, including 200,000 slug rounds. The same story says the equipment had either been issued to Iraqi army, National Guard, or police forces, or delivered throughout Iraq for distribution to personnel.
Sources: Iraqi Forces Take Delivery on More Weapons, Materiel
Timeline
The dated evidence is concentrated in November and December 2004. The shipment itself was described as November's rollout, while the public story was dated December 6, 2004.
The source places the shotguns and 12-gauge ammunition in the coalition-backed Iraqi security-force train-and-equip effort, not in a specific tactical engagement. It therefore supports transfer, issue, and distribution to Iraqi security forces more directly than confirmed combat firing.
Sources: Iraqi Forces Take Delivery on More Weapons, Materiel
Role in Iraq
For this catalog entry, the documented side is Iraqi government and security forces. The supported role is training and foreign aid because the source ties the shotguns to Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq, which it described as responsible for assisting the Iraqi government in training, mentoring, and equipping Iraq's security forces.
The available public source does not identify a shotgun model, operator unit, gauge marking on the 48 shotguns, or a named firing incident. The gauge-specific part of the record is the 450,000 rounds of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition delivered in the same Iraqi security-force equipment package.
Sources: Iraqi Forces Take Delivery on More Weapons, Materiel
