Odierno: Commanders at all levels told to 'reach out' to insurgents 'because there are insurgents reaching out to us'

Above: Soldiers with the 1st Infantry Division pull security during a recon mission for an operation in the Al Hadr area of Baghdad on May 11

Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, said he has told other U.S. commanders “at all levels” to “reach out” to insurgents “because there are insurgents reaching out to us — which is the most important thing. So we want to reach back to them. And we’re talking about cease-fires, and maybe signing some things that say they won’t conduct operations against the government of Iraq, or against coalition forces”...

“It’s happening at small levels,” he said. He didn’t specify which groups were involved.

He also said he thinks a high degree of reconciliation between rival sects and groups is possible, adding that perhaps 80 percent of the sectarian elements within the country are “reconcilable.” That would include “very few” members of al-Qaida, he added.

Read the rest at Army Times

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