TALIBAN LEADER WANTS PEOPLE TO PLANT TREES

Springtime in Afghanistan usually brings a spike in violence as the Taliban takes 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 letter Sunday in four languages, including English, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada said that “the Mujahideen and beloved countrymen must join hands in tree planting. Tree planting plays an important role in environmental protection, economic development and the beautification of the earth,” it says.

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.