Brit Bishop Sorry for 'Praising' Taliban

Venner: Remarks were 'incredibly insensitive'

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 15, 2009 3:48 AM CST

(Newser) – A British bishop has apologized for suggesting that the Taliban have some admirable qualities. Stephen Venner, the newly appointed bishop to Britain's armed forces, had warned against portraying the Taliban as pure evil and said their "conviction to their faith and their sense of... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

3 comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

'Serpent Pastor' Dies of Snake Bite

Oosp: Romney's New App Misspells 'America'

Independent (UK) (Source Grid »)

World

Taliban • Britain • Church of England • bishop • Afghanistan war • Stephen Venner

More Newser Stories

Brit Military Bishop 'Admires' Taliban Loyalty

Gordon Brown does not agree

(NEWSER) - The Taliban's faith and loyalty to one another can be regarded as admirable, according to a British military bishop, who is urging an approach to them that recognizes they're not all bad. The Church of England's bishop to the Armed Forces, Stephen Venner, made his comments as Prime Minister Gordon Brown blasted the Taliban for aiming to cause "maximum damage" in Afghanistan. But Venner said the West has been "too simplistic in our attitude" toward the Taliban. More»

UK Cabbie Moonlights as ... Taliban Fighter

British citizens with Afghan roots head over for months at a time

(NEWSER) - Talk about deflating the mystique of the Taliban: "I work as a minicab driver," one fighter in northern Afghanistan tells the Guardian . He spends most of the year in East London but travels to Afghanistan for a few months to join the fight—and he's apparently not alone. "There are many people like me in London," he says. "We collect money for the jihad all year and come and fight if we can." Which explains why RAF spy planes have picked up Yorkshire and Birmingham accents on fighters communicating via radio. More»

Taliban Moderate: Most of Us Want Peace

Agha Jan Motasim shot for preaching unity government

(NEWSER) - Most Taliban fighters want peace, with only "a few" hardliners holding out against it, a member of the Quetta Shura leadership council tells the AP —and he's got the bullet wounds to prove his sincerity. "The majority of the Taliban and the Taliban leadership want a broad-based government for all Afghan people and an Islamic system like other Islamic countries," Agha Jan Motasim said in a phone interview. More»

POW's Parents Break Silence on Potential Taliban Swap

Bowe Bergdahl's father says US is bungling his son's case

(NEWSER) - The US has been considering a prisoner swap with the Taliban that would free the only American prisoner of war in Afghanistan, reports the New York Times . The negotiations have apparently stalled, however, and Bowe Bergdahl's father is so fed up with the lack of progress that he's going public about them to raise pressure on the White House. He thinks the Obama administration is afraid of looking weak in an election year. More»

Afghan Soldiers Busted in Kabul Terror Plot: NYT

10 suicide vests seized at defense ministry building, officials say

(NEWSER) - The Afghan government has prevented what could have been the most devastating attack yet from its own forces, according to the New York Times . The Defense Ministry in Kabul went into total lockdown yesterday after more than a dozen soldiers were arrested for planning an attack on the building, and ten suicide vests were seized, the newspaper reports, citing anonymous Afghan and Western officials. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Brit Bishop Sorry for 'Praising' Taliban

Venner: Remarks were 'incredibly insensitive'

Taliban • Britain • Church of England • bishop • Afghanistan war • Stephen Venner

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Brit Military Bishop 'Admires' Taliban Loyalty

Gordon Brown does not agree

UK Cabbie Moonlights as ... Taliban Fighter

British citizens with Afghan roots head over for months at a time

Taliban Moderate: Most of Us Want Peace

Agha Jan Motasim shot for preaching unity government

POW's Parents Break Silence on Potential Taliban Swap

Bowe Bergdahl's father says US is bungling his son's case

Afghan Soldiers Busted in Kabul Terror Plot: NYT

10 suicide vests seized at defense ministry building, officials say

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?