The Afghans left late on Monday

Around 20 failed asylum seekers - all men - arrived on Tuesday morning after being flown out from Gatwick Airport.

Officials say the deportees will receive food parcels on their return and have access to training courses.

BBC correspondent Catherine Davis watched them arrive at Kabul airport.

"One man slung a jacket over his head to avoid publicity; others though were keen to tell their story," she said.

One man sold his house and shop in Kabul to get to London - now, he said, he had no resources at all Catherine Davis BBC correspondent

"None were pleased to be back. Some spoke of security concerns.

"Many said they had left Afghanistan for economic reasons and had been in Britain for around a year.

"One man sold his house and shop in Kabul to get to London. Now, he said, he had no resources at all."

Some of the men had been carried, handcuffed, onto the plane by security staff.

They are likely to be followed by many more enforced departures, as the government begins a programme to return as many people as possible to Afghanistan.

The move comes as the prime minister said the government has made "very significant" steps towards its pledge to halve new asylum arrivals by September.

I want to go home but not until I feel free in Afghanistan Mohamed Nazri Asylum seeker Read his full story

But refugee groups have reacted angrily, saying that the country is still in "chaos" and it is not yet safe for them to be sent home.

Margaret Lally, of the Refugee Council, said the government could be putting people in danger.

She said: "It is far too early for forced returns to Afghanistan when there is very credible evidence that the country is not yet safe and there is a climate of impunity and people's protection cannot be guaranteed.

"The structures of law and order and security are still being built up and, consequently, returning people at this time will actually worsen the situation."

Thousands of Afghans have claimed asylum in the UK over the past decade, with 7,380 claiming asylum in 2002 alone, according to Home Office figures.

The Home Office stopped forcing refugees back to Afghanistan in 1995 because of instability there.

Failed Afghan asylum seekers were instead given exceptional leave to remain in the UK. Most were given a term of four years, which was then automatically renewed.

AFGHAN ASYLUM SEEKERS IN UK No Afghan refugee forced to return since 1995 More than 7,000 claimed asylum in 2002 Voluntary return scheme, offering �2,500 grant, meant to attract 1,000 The scheme was taken up by only 39 people Exceptional leave to remain scrapped EU repatriates Afghan refugees Cash offer for returning refugees

But after the fall of the Taleban the country was ruled to have undergone "considerable improvement in the conditions" and deemed safe enough for refugees to be returned.

A voluntary scheme was set up to offer Afghan asylum seekers an incentive of up to �2,500 to return home.

This was expected to attract 1,000 people and possibly up to 17,000 - but was taken up by only 39.

The UK has since begun removing "exceptional leave to remain" for failed Afghan asylum seekers, replacing it instead with a tighter system of controls.

Refugee charities said on Monday that the voluntary scheme should be given more time to work and that Afghanistan was not yet a safe country.