Armed Forces bishop apologises for Afghanistan comments

The Rt Reverend Stephen Venner
Bishop Venner said he was deeply grieved to have caused offence by suggesting that the Taliban could be viewed in a more sympathetic light.

He admitted that his comments could appear “incredibly insensitive”, particularly to the families of soldiers who have died in Afghanistan.

The bishop was heavily criticised for his remarks, with questions being asked over whether he will be able to continue in the job.

Bishop Venner conceded that the attitude he had taken towards the Taliban had been “too simplistic” and stressed that what they are doing is evil.

In his interview with the Daily Telegraph, he had said it would be harder to reach a peaceful solution to the war in Afghanistan if the insurgents were all portrayed as "pure evil."

"There's a large number of things that the Taliban say and stand for which none of us in the West could approve, but simply to say therefore that everything they do is bad is not helping the situation because it's not honest," he said.

"The Taliban can perhaps be admired for their conviction to their faith and their sense of loyalty to each other."

Bishop Venner has issued a statement reiterating his support for British forces and trying to limit the damage caused by his comments.

“The way that the Taliban are waging war in Afghanistan is evil, both in their use of indiscriminate killing and their terrorising of the civilian population. No religion could condone their actions,” he said.

“I acknowledge that long-lasting peace will not be achieved without both defeating the Taliban militants and, over time, by encouraging them to forsake the path of war and to be involved in the future of Afghanistan.

He said he hoped that he had not jeopardised his job, which he took up recently after being commissioned by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

However, Bob Russell, the Liberal Democrat MP for the garrison town of Colchester, accused the bishop of giving "comfort and succour to the enemy".

"What you never do is give comfort to the enemy. It is one thing for people to have respect for their enemy, but there is a world of difference here," he said.

Mr Russell added the bishop should concentrate on "boosting the morale of our armed forces rather than boosting the morale of our enemy".

Colonel Bob Stewart, a former United Nations commander and Chairman of Action for Armed Forces, said the comments appeared "a bit daft".

"He's fully conscious that the Armed Forces are stretched and having a hard time when he makes these comments," he said.

"I accept that some things they do may not be as bad as others but frankly I look at the Taliban in the round and I find nothing to admire about them whatsoever.

"There are many people in the Armed Forces that have an equally strong religious faith and not just Christian either. There are Muslims in our Armed Forces as well who have strong faith and I admire them but I don't admire the Taliban.

"It seems a bit daft to make any comments that might be construed as praising the Taliban when they're trying to shoot the backside off our troops."

Patrick Mercer, the Conservative MP and former Army officer, said: I can fully appreciate what the bishop is saying but I just wonder how this will be received by the soldiers, sailors, airmen and most importantly the padres who are having to face the Taliban on a daily basis?"

Gordon Brown vowed to launch a renewed effort to defeat the Taliban as he made an unannounced visit to troops in Afghanistan.

Source:telegraph.co.uk/