April 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress next Tuesday and Wednesday will receive a much-anticipated report on the state of the war in Iraq from the U.S. commander on the ground, Gen. David Petraeus.

Following are some facts about Petraeus.

* The flow of foreign militants entering Iraq to fight for al Qaeda has fallen by half, Petraeus told Reuters in an interview in February 2008. Much of the fall in numbers was due to countries barring young men from flying to the Syrian cities of Damascus and Aleppo on one-way tickets, Petraeus said.

* Petraeus in February 2008 advocated a cautious approach to cutting American firepower, telling Reuters in an an interview that security gains could be sacrificed if troops left too quickly.

* Widely regarded as one of the Army's better commanders, Petraeus was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq on Jan. 26, 2007.

* Petraeus told senators in January 2007 the situation in Iraq was "dire" but not hopeless.

* Before his latest promotion, Petraeus had been head of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

* Petraeus, a media-friendly warrior-scholar with a doctorate from Princeton University, has a reputation for viewing military power as much more than the use of force.

* Petraeus led the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and won plaudits for working closely with local leaders to stabilize the northern city of Mosul, getting involved in everything from privatization to local elections.

* Petraeus later led efforts to train Iraqi security forces and has overseen an overhaul of the U.S. military's counterinsurgency manual that stresses the importance of understanding local politics and culture. (Writing by Paul Grant, Washington Editorial Reference Unit; editing by David Wiessler)

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