Nato and Afghan troops are preparing for a major offensive against Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan.<br /><br />Ahead of the operation, thousands of civilians have fled their homes near the Marjah area of Helmand province.<br /><br />Many will be going to displacement camps near the capital, Kabul.<br /><br />But as Al Jazeera's David Chater reports, conditions there are dismal. <br /><br />Rations of firewood are scarce as temperatures plummet below zero at night.
