LONDON, Aug 10: A court in London has ruled that that the two children of an Afghan couple, forcefully removed from a mosque a few weeks ago, must stay with the parents at a detention centre.

Farid and Feriba Ahmadi had sought sanctuary in a mosque in West Midlands to avoid being deported to Germany after their asylum bid had failed.

The two are being held at a detention centre. The children - a girl of six and a boy of four _ who had been staying with a family friend, were detained when they visited their parents at the detention centre near Heathrow airport, west London, according to their parents’ lawyer.

Campaigners launched a legal battle to be allowed to care for the children, but the judge rejected the application.

Pierre Makhlouf, an immigration lawyer for Mr and Mrs Ahmadi, said papers were lodged to make the children wards of court while they were being looked after by the friend until a decision had been made on whether the Afghan family would be deported.

An 11th-hour application was made to the High Court by the family’s lawyers for the children to be released back into the care of the friend, said Mr Makhlouf.