Just 60 kilometres (40 miles) from the Afghan capital, Uzbeen is an insurgent stronghold and shows the extent to which the Islamist militia dominates swathes of the countryside even so close to the seat of government.

The war has never been deadlier. This year has seen record Afghan civilian and foreign troop fatalities since the 2001 US-led invasion to oust the Taliban regime from power.

A new US battle plan to reverse the Taliban momentum, deny Al-Qaeda a safe haven and train Afghan forces to take responsibility is rooted in protecting the Afghan people in order to win hearts and minds.

Road testing General Stanley McChrystal's new strategy, NATO officers were determined to win favour with locals and restore sovereignty to Afghan security forces in the northern part of the valley.

So the French Foreign Legion launched one of their biggest operations of the eight-year war -- to open the road to a key village in northern Uzbeen and hold a meeting with local elders.

Within hours however the mission ran into trouble. Officers found out that 50 insurgents had gathered at Qaleh Eh Ye Kalan, the village where they had planned to arrive in triumph to consult the elders.

"We decided to organise the shura in another village," said a lieutenant colonel whose name cannot be revealed for security reasons.

But the people in that village were not told in time. And then the commanding officer took a wrong turn and was delayed even longer.

In the end, the shura was cancelled.

Operation Septentrion, which mobilised 1,000 crack troops from US Special Forces, the French Foreign Legion and Afghan police ended without achieving its objective.

Instead they killed one Taliban militant, and five US troops were wounded.

Commanding officer Colonel Benoit Durieux put on a brave face.

"It's a first step. The aim is to come back soon and that our successors continue our work," said Durieux, whose regiment goes home in January.

"We are dealing with insurgents rather than an insurgency. And the 'battle for hearts and minds' is difficult," he said.

But speaking in a valley where a Taliban ambush killed 10 French soldiers in August 2008, some officers could not hide their bitterness.

"I don't see how we can have a positive impact on the population," said one. "We need to stay five days on the ground, build a forward post for the Afghan army, make a real mark and not withdraw so quickly," he said.

Officers said Septentrion was a chance for the French -- the fourth Western military contingent in Afghanistan -- to multiply outposts of stability to foster "security, development and governance".

For two months in preparations, Durieux's commanders held shuras to "convince the insurgents to lay down their weapons".

They hoped that less ideologically driven members of the Taliban would run away or put down their weapons, leaving only the most radical minority to face the offensive.

As dawn broke over the valley, the rebels were able to pick out the NATO units spread out on the ridges, near the villages.

Despite the 43 nations maintaining 113,000 NATO and US troops in Afghanistan, European militaries complain that compared to the Americans they are short of valuable equipment, hampering their ability to do their job.

French intelligence officer Captain Edouard, whose full name cannot be used, jumped up and down to keep warm in the freezing Afghan morning, battling with poor technology to mobilise his contacts.

"Those in the valley with information are out of reach -- network problems. Unlike the Americans who give them satellite phones, I've only got what the Legion has," he said.

In an operations centre, a NATO intelligence officer sat glued to images transmitted live from a surveillance drone hovering over the valley.

"We can't see if they're armed," said the lieutenant colonel.

Neither can troops on the ground. Command refuses to order an attack.

"They know we're watching them, so they don't go around a lot with weapons. Sometimes they walk between goats, holding a child by the hand, said the lieutenant colonel, adding: "What do you want us to do?"

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