Taliban chief calls for tree-planting

KABUL, Afghanistan — Springtime in Afghanistan usually brings a spike in violence as the Taliban take advantage of the thaw to launch a wave of fresh attacks. But the Taliban’s leader has issued a statement calling on Afghans to plant more trees.

In a public letter issued Sunday in four languages — including English — Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada said “the Mujahideen and beloved countrymen must join hands in tree planting.”

The statement said the Taliban remain “actively engaged in a struggle against foreign invaders and their hirelings” — a reference to the Kabul government that the militant group seeks to overthrow.

Shah Hussain Murtazawi, deputy spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, dismissed the statement as an attempt to “deceive public opinion” and distract from the Taliban’s “crimes and destruction.”

“Since the establishment of the Taliban movement, the only things that these people have in their minds are fighting, crimes and destruction,” he said. “How is it possible for the Taliban to think about planting trees or protecting the environment in the country?”

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