(MAGTF) rear area was centered around the separate sites of the embassy compound, port, and airfield in the city of Mogadishu, while its close area was widely scattered around the towns and villages of the interior that were occupied by the MAGTF. The MAGTF's deep area included the rest of the country and particularly those population and relief centers not under the joint force commander's supervision. Areas of influence In an area of influence, the component or force commander assigns subordinate units to conduct missions in and out of this area. Communication is key, either for reconnaissance to report intelligence or fire support for ground forces. Sometimes known as distant battlespace, it is useful to the force commander as a tool in assigning subordinate areas of operations and in focusing intelligence collection and information operations to shape the battlespace to facilitate future operations. Today's area of influence may be tomorrow's AO. Area of interest The key term area of interest specifies areas of interest to the component or force commander; the location of friendly and enemy forces, and the capabilities that may be an advantage, the infrastructure, and key terrain that concern the commander. The size of the area of interest normally exceeds the commander's operational reach, which mainly focuses within the scope of deep operations. While the area of interest includes the AO and area of influence, the area of interest may stretch far beyond the other parts of a commander's battlespace. A commander may also have areas of interest around airbases in other countries neighboring the task force's AO. See also List of U.S. government and military acronyms References Military terminology of the United States Military geography Military globalization