. >> narrator: our journey begins in khost province, eastern afghanistan. this is where al qaeda trained some of the 9/11 hijackers. it's now the heartland of the haqqani network, a ruthless branch of the taliban insurgency responsible for some of the most vicious attacks of the war. over the past year, there's been a dramatic escalation of kill/capture missions here. we're with the soldiers of the 101st airborne division and their afghan counterparts. they've received intelligence that a wanted taliban leader is hiding out nearby. >> we're going after a mid-level insurgent here in the district. guy's name is gulab, this guy right here. he's an ied facilitator, kidnapper, just all-around bad guy. we're going to do an air assault on his compound. >> roger, we copy. ( helicopter blades whirring ) >> narrator: in khost and across the country, targeted raids like this have become a defining tactic in the war against the taliban. although 30,000 extra us troops were sent to afghanistan last year, here in khost there are still not enough forces to keep security o