KABUL — 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 just 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 that ‘‘the Mujahideen and beloved countrymen must join hands in tree planting.’’

The statement does point out that 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?’’

Most of Afghanistan’s big cities are overpopulated and there are few public green spaces or parks. According to the Afghan Public Health Ministry, up to 4,000 citizens die each year in Kabul due to illness brought on or exacerbated by air pollution.

Wahid Muzhda, a political analyst in Kabul, said that announcements like this — and other statements where they claim to be building roads and bridges — could be part of a Taliban campaign to show that they would provide enlightened leadership in areas of the country that they control.

Akhunzada’s statement cited Islamic tradition and the words and deeds of the prophet Mohammed to reinforce its environmental message.

In a separate development, officials in the northern province of Zawzjan said at least 10 police officers and the wife of a commander were killed by Islamic State militants.

Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the officers were ambushed Friday as they were coming out of a mosque. The wife of the police commander heard about her husband being shot and rushed to the scene, where she was also killed.

ISIS-linked militants have been active in Afghanistan’s eastern regions, but have recently begun operating in the north of the country as well.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry said in a statement that around 38 militants, including 23 ISIS fighters, were killed in separate operations conducted by Afghan security forces in the eastern and southern regions of the country last week.