I can't believe that the US military is allowing the negotiation for the release of a US soldier being held by kidnappers.
They've never negotiated.
It seems like they are trying to open up communication lines and get him released through contacts in the iraqi govt.
The general said they are have many operations looking for him.
It reads that his family in Iraq is receiving the ransom information, not the US Army. It could well be that the family wants to negotiate IF he is still alive, which they seem to doubt.