WITNESS - Afghan night mission ends in bullets

Deborah Gembara recently returned to Washington from a six-week reporting stint in Afghanistan. In the following story she recounts a night mission last month with U.S. soldiers in eastern Afghanistan.

By Deborah Gembara

BABO KHEYL, Afghanistan (Reuters) - It's just after midnight and I am in the back of a helicopter, jammed in with two soldiers on either side. We are in darkness, save for slivers of moonlight illuminating the door gunners.

I'm tagging along with members of the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment from Alaska, as they conduct a raid on the town of Babo Kheyl in eastern Afghanistan.

It's my first night operation and I'm digesting what I've been told about Babo Kheyl. Taliban stronghold. Surrounded by muddy trenches. Armed to the teeth.

Another night in the war for these soldiers, who are among about 67,000 U.S. troops and 40,000 allied forces trying to beat back a Taliban insurgency and stabilise the country.

Our ride is a Chinook. Chinooks are the workhorse of the chopper fleet, transporting several dozen people at a time as well as major cargo. They're also excellent at high altitudes. If Blackhawks are racehorses, Chinooks are Clydesdales.

The helicopter begins dropping in altitude. The thigh muscles of the soldiers on both sides of me stiffen at the same moment. Weapons that had been resting on the floor are now pulled up to the soldiers' chests.

The chopper lands with a clumsy thud. We are on our feet and shuffling single file towards the rear of the helicopter. Ahead of me, two soldiers bound off the end of the ramp, sprinting into the darkness.