Seeking an “authentic” experience as he backpacked through war-torn Afghanistan, Dutch tourist Ciaran Barr searched the Couchsurfing website for locals to stay with. He found an astonishing number of potential hosts.

Despite the country’s decaying security, nearly 2,000 Afghans – the vast majority of them men – have signed up to host guests on the social networking platform, which connects travellers around the world with locals who are willing to put them up for free.