Two Croydon students who fled from Afghanistan to escape the Taliban say they would rather kill themselves than be sent back there on a deportation flight which is leaving tomorrow.

Sherdil Khan and Shafiqullah Safi are both being held at a detention centre at Gatwick with hundreds of others who have been given tickets for the flight from the airport.

Campaigners fighting against the deportation say so many people are being sent back at one time because the Afghan government has reportedly requested a halt to all deportations from Europe.

Mr Khan said he does not want to go back there as he believes all his family have been killed by the Taliban.

And the 18-year-old, who is studying science at John Ruskin College, said it is too dangerous for him to return to the country he left in 2010.

He said: "They [the Home Office] said to me ‘You want to go to Afghanistan’ and I told them no.

"They said ‘Why don’t you want to go to Afghanistan?’ and I told them ‘Find my family first and then I will go myself. But I’m going to stay here until you find my family’.

"People will try to kill me in Afghanistan.

"I do not have a family in Afghanistan, I told the Home Office when I came in 2010 and I’m telling them ‘Find my family, ring my family’.

"They say you do not have a family here, you have a family in Afghanistan.

"But if I go there I will live on the streets. I’m not going to work with the Taliban because they try and kill people.

"I’m going to kill myself because I won’t have a good life in Afghanistan.

"I think my family is dead a long time ago.

"I have a lot of friends in this country and do not have anyone in Afghanistan.

"Why is the country doing these things?"

Croydon College student Shafiqullah Safi was supposed to be taking exams last Friday but he has been detained at Gatwick since last Thursday awaiting his fate.

The 25-year-old said: "I do not have any family in Afghanistan.

"When I was seven years old I lost my father as the Taliban took him away and when I was 14 my sister and two brothers were taken away.

"My mother asked me to leave there and go somewhere safer.

"I’m not a criminal and I was just trying to do my studying and work hard.

"I am not going to go back to Afghanistan because I do not have anyone there.

"I can kill myself here because I do not want to go back there.

"It’s unsafe and I do not have anyone there."

A Home Office spokesman said: “The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection and each claim is carefully considered on its individual merits against up-to-date country information, relevant case law and any policy guidance specific to the type of claim.

“However, when someone is found not to need our protection we expect them to leave at the earliest opportunity. If they do not, we will enforce their removal.

“We do not routinely comment on individual cases.”