Major General Petraeus and the City of Mosul, Iraq Operational Environment
The state of Mosul’s operational environment dictated Major General Petraeus operational approach to military operations.
Operational Environment
The operational environment is a composite of conditions circumstances and influences that affect the employment capabilities and bear on the decisions of the commander (JP 1-02). Mosul is the second largest city in Iraq, with a population of 1.7 million people. The Tigris River is located 250 miles North of Baghdad. Nested in Mosul is the Sunni triangle. Mosul is also fault line where various ethnic, religious, sectarian, and tribal groups intersect. In the city of Mosul, the distribution of the Sunni Arab is 70%, Kurd 25%,
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There was no economic infrastructure or administrative control when Saddam Hussein had overall control over economic activity at the beginning of the war. General David Petraeus assigned Colonel Anderson of the 101st, and his troops arrived in Mosul with minimal information about the city, its people, or the surrounding province. Major General Petraeus then assigned Colonel Anderson to reconnoiter Mosul and report back to him with an update. After Colonel Anderson arrival to Mosul, he heard conflicting reports from the 26th Marine expeditionary unit stating the area was dangerous when the Special Forces said it was much calmer. During Colonel Anderson "commander 's reconnaissance" tour around Mosul, he decided to form his own opinion of how he was going to deploy troops on the ground with recommendations from Major General Petraeus. General Petraeus landed in Mosul on April 22, when he decided to locate his hindquarters in Saddam Hussein 's former palace across the Tigris River a few kilometers north of Colonel Anderson. Major General Petraeus needed a location to accommodate thousands of staff, a signal battalion, military intelligence, civil affairs, and engineers. As troops begin to deploy, he started his own commander 's reconnaissance of the political, economic, military, and landscape. If Colonel Anderson failed to act quickly move soldiers into Mosul to occupy the area which is known as a breeding ground