NATO releases footage of night time raids in Afghanistan.

Authorities say every night in Afghanistan anywhere from 7 to 15 raids take place -- a practice hated by Afghans but seen as effective by American forces.

Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson in Kabul was made available to reuters by the pentagon.

(SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) BRIGADIER GENERAL CARSTEN JACOBSON SAYING:

"Night operations in general are running without a single shot fired. As a matter of fact, in more than 85 percent of all night raids not a single shot is fired. They are always partnered with Afghan solders . They are in great many ways the safest form of operation to arrests high risk insurgents in their houses, in their areas where they are hiding and bringing them in. They have been contentious, over the last weeks, months or even years because it means an intrusion into an Afghan house."

Jacobson says the raids aim for the middle.

(SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) BRIGADIER GENERAL CARSTEN JACOBSON SAYING:

"Leaders, middle managers , facilitators, bomb specialists, bomb builders."

Now authorities say U.S. and Afghan officials are close to a deal to change the way night raids are conducted giving Afghan security forces the lead role.

(SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) BRIGADIER GENERAL CARSTEN JACOBSON SAYING:

"How this negotiation are going now is primarily a question between the government of the US and the government of Afghanistan, however to our understanding we are very close to closing the deal."

The deal is aimed at helping clear the way for a broader strategic partnership agreement that will govern the U.S. presence in Afghanistan once Afghan forces take full responsibility for security by the end of 2014.

Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.