Al Jazeera English, Feb. 7, 2010

NATO and Afghan troops are preparing for a major offensive against Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan.

Ahead of the operation, thousands of civilians have fled their homes near the Marjah area of Helmand province.

Many will be going to displacement camps near the capital, Kabul.

But as Al Jazeera’s David Chater reports, conditions there are dismal.

Rations of firewood are scarce as temperatures plummet below zero at night.