A FAMILY seeking asylum in Bolton were forced to pack their belongings into bin bags and leave their home.

Aliyah Mohammed, aged 26, and her children, were told to go by their landlord after the Home Office stopped their benefits.

And although the landlord took them to a two-bedroom flat in Longsight at his own expense, he says they can only stay there for the next three or four days.

After that the family could become homeless.

The Government has refused to give Mrs Mohammed and her four children asylum status, despite the fact that she is originally from Somalia - a former British protectorate - which today is torn apart by war.

More than a million people have died in Somalia through war and famine and the atrocities were graphically illustrated in the Hollywood film, Black Hawk Down.

Mr Mohammed's daughters, Jokhr, aged 11, Samira, aged nine, Salma, aged eight, and Tawida, aged two, will be taken into care. The three eldest daughters are settled in St Williams RC Primary School in Great Lever.

Mrs Mohammed, speaking through an interpreter, said: "I do not want my daughters taken away from me. I have done nothing wrong apart from leaving my country to save my family's life.

"My choice is to go back to Somalia where my daughters' lives will be in danger, or lose them in this country. I can't believe what is happening."

Jokhr, who has witnessed first-hand the atrocities of war, said: "I do not want to leave my mother and my sisters. We are very scared.

"We are being treated like animals.

"I have not been able to say goodbye to my friends."

The family fled Somalia in 2003 after Mrs Mohammed gave all her jewellery to an agent to get her and her daughters out of the country.

The family have been in Bolton since September 2003.

But their claim for asylum status and a subsequent appeal was rejected by the Home Office and the family fell foul of Section Nine of the immigration law, which means they have been living on handouts from friends.

Mrs Mohammed said: "When fighting broke out, I had to leave - it was too dangerous for my daughters to stay.

"My husband stayed behind, and I do not know what has happened to him."

A Bolton Council spokesman said: "It is not appropriate for us to comment on individual cases such as this.

"However, unless there are specific circumstances which mean this is not possible, we work hard to keep families together and only look to substitute care when all else fails.

"We feel this offers the best chance of a healthy, stable and secure life for children."

The Home Office said it did not comment on individual cases.