After the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban dismantled the former Afghan National Security Service and rebuilt it under their own command. The country’s police and border patrol is now running at full tilt, but admission is limited to members of Taliban families - creating rising unemployment. Meanwhile, Afghanistan is being hit head-on by another major crises, a mass return of Afghans. Despite promises of a better future, pervasive loss of hope prevails.