http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/19/AR2007071902432.html<snip>
U.S. forces in Iraq are striking a variety of "handshake agreements" with Iraqi insurgents and militia groups, sometimes resulting in the release of fighters detained for attacking coalition forces, U.S. military officials said in several recent interviews.
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"There are no signed agreements," Odierno added. "They are . . . handshake agreements."
He did not offer details about the number of agreements struck or the number of people with whom they were reached. Other U.S. officials in Iraq have declined to provide any information on the effort. One reason is their belief that the Iraqi government's Shiite leaders would object to any formal program that appeared to forgive Sunni insurgents.
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Also, said one person directly involved in the discharges, "I understand that many of the folks we are releasing have killed U.S. soldiers. But we have killed many of their family members, as well."