ELLESMERE Port's Labour MP Andrew Miller could find himself at the sharp end of any military action against Afghanistan in the next few days.

Last weekend he left for an eight-day fact-finding trip to Oman, ­the Arab state only 200 miles from the potential war zone where a 25,000-strong British force has gathered for a massive exercise condenamed Operation Saif Sareea II.

Mr Miller is a long-standing member of the Armed Forces Parliamentary scheme, which aims to help MPs understand the needs of the Army, Royal Navy and RAF.

The trip to Oman, which he is making as part of an all-party group of about six MPs, was arranged long before the military build-up for retaliation against Islamic terrorists began.

But, as Mr Miller explained, he and Parliamentary colleagues had no intention of calling it off.

He said: 'We obviously had some serious discussions about whether we should still go after the events of September 11.

'But we decided we couldn't allow these cowboys to scare us into giving everything up.'

Before leaving for the Middle East he told the Pioneer: 'I don't know in any detail what is likely to happen in terms of military action, or when this might be, but it's fairly clear we are keeping all options open so that any approach can be utilised.

'It is also clear from speaking to people in Ellesmere Port there is huge public support for our armed forces at the moment and this needs to be communicated to them personally should they be called on to be involved in any action.'

Operation Saif Sareea II ­- meaning Swift Sword -­ is the largest concentration of British forces since the Falklands War 19 years ago and involves scores of warships, a large contingent of troops and large numbers of warplanes.

Mr Miller says the aim of the exercise, which also involves forces from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, is to demonstrate how the rapid reaction force concept can work in practice.