The adventurous explorers have snapped themselves in shark-infested waters, at the side of an active volcano, atop a Hong Kong skyscraper surrounded by toxic smog, and even perched on the top of iconic Rio statue of Christ the Redeemer. Here: Ervin Punkar using a selfie stick to take a photo from the very top of the 600ft TV tower in Tartu, Estonia. (Photo by Ervin Punkar/Caters News Agency)

Students from Cambridge University make their way home after celebrating the end of the academic year at a May Ball in Trinity College on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. The first official May Ball in Trinity College's grounds was held in 1866 with the tradition quickly spreading to the other colleges. (Photo by Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)

Throughout the course of the long war in Afghanistan, Coalition troops have relied on thousands of military working dogs to help keep them safe, and make their jobs easier. The dogs are trained to detect explosives, to find illegal drugs, to search for missing comrades, or target enemy combatants. Not only are they active on the front lines, but behind the lines they serve as therapy dogs, service dogs, and loyal companions. They also share the same risks as the ground troops, suffering injuries and sometimes death on the battlefields. Gathered here are images of these dogs and their handlers in Afghanistan and back home, from over the past several years, part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan.

Seized plastic handguns which were created using 3D printing technology are displayed at Kanagawa police station in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, in this photo taken by Kyodo May 8, 2014. Yoshimoto Imura became the first man to be arrested in Japan for illegal possession of two guns he created himself using 3D printing technology, Japanese media said on Thursday. The 27-year-old, a college employee in the city of Kawasaki, was arrested after police found video online posted by Imura claiming to have produced his own guns. Gun possession is strictly regulated in Japan. Police raided Imura's home and found five guns, two of which could fire real bullets, Japanese media said. (Photo by Reuters/Kyodo)

A Saudi police officer receives emergency calls at a call center, ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, August 6, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (Photo by Amr Nabil/AP Photo)

A reveler dances during the Carmelitas street party in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, March 1, 2019. Much of the appeal of Rio street parties is the variety of themes and that people can dress up in costumes or not. (Photo by Leo Correa/AP Photo)

A woman poses for photographs after Gucci Cruise 2024 collection fashion show at the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, South Korea on May 16, 2023. (Photo by Kim Soo-Hyeon/Reuters)

A man does physical exercise during sunset over the Finnish Gulf coast in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 14, 2021. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)