Qadem Khel , Ghazni province , Afghanistan ( CNN ) -- The day begins with a count of the necessities for a joint operation with Afghan troops -- among them 85 halal MREs ( Meals Ready To Eat ) . Around the tactical headquarters , soldiers of the 172nd Infantry get a taste of home before setting off into the wilder fringes of lawless Ghazni province . There 's baseball televised from Fenway Park , replete with a rendition of the `` Star-Spangled Banner '' by Rose Newton , aged 11 . One lieutenant has his mortgage approved by email ; another exclaims how he just ca n't wait to go home . This is FOB `` 4 Corners . '' And tonight these soldiers plan an air assault into an area called Qadem Khel , where the Taliban is basically the law . Neither this unit , nor other U.S. forces , will get to do many more of these as the drawdown of Allied forces gathers pace . Adding an air of anticipation to the mission , the men at 4 Corners believe two of the men they most want to take off the battlefield are in the area . They have a photo of one of them , with and without a heavy mop of hair . The helicopters arrive and , with the assistance of night vision for the Americans and some careful footwork by their Afghan colleagues , they climb aboard . The helicopters touch down in a huge expanse of desert . The troops huddle in the coldest moment before the dawn , and then begin their approach . The mantra now is `` Afghan-led , '' part of NATO 's bid to make this an Afghan-only war . The Afghan soldiers are mostly from the north or northeast of Afghanistan and to many locals they are strangers almost as foreign as the Americans . They lead the way , set the tempo . And , for a mission that many of the Americans thought might have been one for special forces , that tempo is pretty relaxed . In large numbers , in daylight , they amble into town . They 're allowed into most homes ; would you say `` no '' when four dozen armed men arrive at your door ? When they meet a locked door , the Afghans seem to turn away , particularly when a pocket knife ca n't prise the lock . It is remarkable to watch , and their casual attitude is contagious to the Americans , who are soon also ambling , in between the occasional grimace at how this operation is being led . Soon it becomes clear that their prey has probably fled unless they 're remarkably lazy . Sergeant Richard Snader admits that `` once they hear the birds they probably leave immediately . '' But still they carry on , house to house , the first contact this village has had with the Afghan government in over six months . At times , it has an almost random feeling . Two boys are caught riding banned motorbikes . One Afghan soldier considers shooting the bike 's fuel tank as a punishment , but decides that 's probably too dangerous even for him . So the soldiers let the tires down , and then the more sheepish biker is given a couple of heavy slaps around the head . Instant justice , Afghan-army style . Far from western jurisprudence , but in rural Afghanistan , this is often what passes as the law . As they pass through the village , locals seem bemused , friendly . As though visited by aliens , rather than caught in a war . This is not a place where NATO has power , or Afghanistan 's government even exists . Captain Chris Barlow says he 's been told by locals that when the Taliban lay booby traps for NATO , they issue a warning to villagers over the mosque loudspeakers . This is their form of law . Barlow , with eight weeks left in his tour , accepts it 's likely American forces wo n't return to Qadam Khel soon . Eventually , the insurgency makes an appearance . The Americans are searching a house where weapons had been found previously when shots are fired . There is confusion and the Afghan army seem to relish the fight ahead . U.S. airpower arrives quickly , with one of the heavily armed A10 warplanes buzzing the likely insurgent position . But after 20 minutes , it 's clear children and women are near the insurgent firing position . The Americans dispense with any idea of an assault . They head back into the village , and at dark move again -- across wide open fields to the landing zone . A whirr of Chinook blades and a cloud of dust later , the Americans are gone , perhaps for the last time .
American soldiers plan air assault into Afghan area where the Taliban is basically law . U.S. forces will likely not do many more of these as drawdown of Allied forces gathers pace . Mission fails to find two men targeted ; mood seems relaxed , says CNN 's Paton Walsh . Village is not a place where NATO has power , or Afghanistan 's government even exists .