A woman carries earthen pots to fill them with drinking water on a hot summer day, on the outskirts of Ajmer, Rajasthan, India April 25, 2017. (Photo by Himanshu Sharma/Reuters)

Sphynx cats are seen in Ankara, Turkiye on July 29, 2023. World Cat Day is celebrated on August 8th every year since 2002. (Photo by Omer Taha Cetin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

“Husky is a general term for several breeds of dogs used as sled dogs. Huskies were originally used as sled dogs in northern regions but are now also kept as pets. The word “husky” is a corruption of the derogative term “Eskie”, also given to the Esquimaux tribes that came into contact with Europeans who made early expeditions into their lands. The most common huskies are the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Husky”. – Wikipedia

Photo: A husky looks out from his pen as competitors and teams prepare for the 27th annual Aviemore Husky Sled Dog Rally beside Loch Morlich on January 21, 2010 Aviemore, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/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.

Cemetery workers lift a corpse from a coffin to a metal plate as they prepare the body for cremation at a cemetery in Maracaibo, Venezuela, November 27, 2019. Some overcome the financial burden of a relative's death by renting caskets, a cheaper option than buying one. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

Models pose during the Macgraw presentation show during Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2023 on May 18, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by James Gourley/Getty Images for AAFW)

A Naga man carries fish in his teeth after it was stunned by dynamite, which fishermen threw in a creek between Donhe and Lahe township, in the Naga Self-Administered Zone in northwest Myanmar December 27, 2014. (Photo by Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)

Musafir, a pet monkey, eats sweets on a pavement in Kolkata, India, June 9, 2016. (Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters)