The 2,800 troops involved are largely frontline infantry and engineers from Britain's Joint Rapid Reaction Force.

But the Ministry of Defence insisted on Thursday that no decision had been taken on a possible military strike against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

The troops were among 10,000 soldiers put on standby to man fire engines in the event of firefighters going on strike over pay demands.

"This is essentially prudent contingency planning to allow these higher readiness units to continue with military training and give us the flexibility to undertake operations if required," the ministry said in a statement.

Emphasising that no decision has been taken on military action against Iraq, it added: "The government's emphasis is still firmly on diplomacy, but we in the ministry must ensure we take sensible steps to ensure we are able to respond to any requirement that may be placed on us."

With talk of war mounting on both sides of the Atlantic, British forces have recently launched two major exercises to test their military readiness.

The Royal Air Force is practising an operation to set up a remote air base. Operation Log Viper has involved thousands of personnel moving supplies to a military port in a massive logistics exercise.

Officials insist that the two drills were planned a long time ago -- but both hone the skills, assemble personnel and gather hardware that would be needed for an urgent mission to the desert.

U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime MInister Tony Blair have argued that the removal of Saddam is necessary to stop Iraq from developing weapons of mass destruction and threatening its neighbours.

The United States is pushing for a strong resolution from the U.N. Security Council mandating aggressive weapons inspections and authorising the use of force against Saddam should he fail to allow inspectors unfettered access.

(NAMPA/REUTERS)

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