Amu: Afghanistan recorded a 61-run victory over Scotland in a T20 warm-up match on Monday, with bowlers and batters combining for a dominant performance. The match was Afghanistan’s first warm-up fixture, with the team scheduled to face West Indies in their second warm-up on Feb. 4, the Afghanistan Cricket Board said. Click here to read more (external link).
Cannabis most widely used drug among men in Afghanistan, UNDP study finds
Amu: Cannabis is the most widely used and perceived drug among men in Afghanistan, according to a new assessment by the UN Development Program (UNDP), highlighting persistent substance use challenges despite a nationwide ban imposed by the Taliban in 2023. The assessment, based on interviews with more than 10,000 people across 21 provinces, found that cannabis ranked first for both lifetime use and past-year use among men, followed by opium, heroin and pharmaceutical drugs such as sedatives and painkillers. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan seal knockout spot despite 5-2 futsal loss to Iran
Amu: Afghanistan’s national futsal team advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup despite a 5–2 defeat to Iran in their final Group Four match on Sunday. Afghanistan had earlier qualified for the quarter-finals with victories over Saudi Arabia and Malaysia in the group. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – February 1, 2026
The True Nature of the Taliban: Illusory Economic Self-Sufficiency and Dual Drug Policies
Taliban militants (file photo)
8am: The Taliban’s claims of economic self-sufficiency and reduced narcotics production are superficial, short-term achievements designed to preserve the power of the ruling elite. In contrast, the people of Afghanistan face polluted villages, generations of illness, widespread poverty, suppression of women, and destruction of prospects for sustainable development. Click here to read more (external link).
The Taliban’s War on Persian: When the Language Cannot Coexist with Pashto and English
8am: The inauguration of a major hospital in Kabul could have been a positive development in itself, especially under a regime whose name is synonymous with violence, bloodshed, and a detachment from public service. Yet, by omitting Persian from the hospital’s signage, the Taliban turned what should have been a celebrated moment into a source of controversy. Observers noted that the hospital’s plaques and signs feature only Pashto and English, effectively sidelining Persian, a language that Taliban officials and spokespeople have repeatedly claimed is official and national. This exclusion is neither accidental nor administrative negligence; it is a deliberate, politically motivated decision aimed at reinforcing a policy of anti-Persian sentiment. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan’s embassy in Japan to suspend operations from Feb. 1
Amu: Afghanistan’s embassy in Japan will suspend all operations, including consular services, from Feb. 1, the mission said on Saturday, adding to growing uncertainty over the country’s diplomatic representation abroad following the Taliban’s return to power. The embassy, located in Tokyo’s Minato district, has been operated by diplomats appointed by Afghanistan’s former government, which was ousted when the Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – January 31, 2026
US Senator Rand Paul says bill would claw back $631m from Afghanistan
Rand Paul
Amu: US Senator Rand Paul said on Thursday that proposed legislation would claw back $631 million earmarked for Afghanistan reconstruction and permanently block US taxpayer money from reaching the Taliban. “If H.R. 260 becomes law, $631 million meant for Afghanistan reconstruction will be clawed back to the Treasury,” Paul said in a statement, adding that “not another dollar should ever reach the Taliban” after two decades of war. Paul said the bill, known as the No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act, would end what he described as Washington’s “blind commitment” to Afghanistan-related spending and tighten safeguards on the relocation of Afghans to the United States, arguing that national security must take priority. Click here to read more (external link).
Australia to Suspend Afghanistan Embassy Operations
Khaama: Australia’s Foreign Ministry announced the Afghanistan embassy in Canberra will be suspended after June 30, 2026, following an agreement on an orderly and dignified transition process. The Afghanistan embassy in Australia has been among the last diplomatic missions worldwide still operating under credentials from the pre-August 2021 government. Most countries have closed Afghanistan embassies or allowed them to operate in diplomatic limbo, neither recognizing Taliban authority nor fully severing ties, creating challenges for Afghanistan’s citizens abroad who need consular services like passport renewals and document authentication. Click here to read more (external link).