Crisis in the Hindu Kush: THE TREES THAT VANISHED; The aromatic groves of cedar and pine that once covered Afghanistan are disappearing, cut down by smugglers. Justin Huggler reports from Kabul on a desperate struggle to avert ecological disaster.(Foreign News) From: The Independent (London, England) | Date: September 24, 2005| Author: | COPYRIGHT 2005 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

Byline: Justin Huggler

On a clear day in Jalalabad, you can just see them, green against the distant mountains, some of the last cedars of Afghanistan. The mountains are the Spin Ghar range, home to Tora Bora where Osama bin Laden fought the last stand against the US-led invasion in 2001. But today, another war is going on up there, unnoticed by the outside world. This time the enemy is not the Taliban or Bin Laden, but smugglers. This is the war to save Afghanistan's last forests.

There is a beautiful scent that lingers in Afghanistan's cities, overpowering even the ...