Magbola Alhadi, 20, and her three children pose for a portrait in Jamam refugee camp in Maban County, South Sudan on August 11th, 2012. Magboola and her family weathered aerial bombing raids for several months, but decided it was time to leave their village of Bofe the night that soldiers arrived and opened fire. With her three children, she travelled for 12 days from Bofe to the town of El Fudj, on the South Sudanese border. The most important thing that Magboola was able to bring with her is the saucepan she holds in this photograph. It wasn't the largest pot that she had in Bofe, but it was small enough she could travel with it, yet big enough to cook sorghum for herself and her three daughters (from left: Aduna Omar, 6, Halima Omar, 4, and Arfa Omar, 2) during their journey. (Photo by Brian Sokol/Panos Pictures)

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.

Artist Joe Hill poses on his 3D artwork, from the “Joe and Max” project as part of an advertising campaign, during its presentation at a park in Moscow, Russia, July 4, 2015. (Photo by Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters)

This picture taken on May 4, 2020 shows a gentoo penguin swimming in an enclosure at the Ocean Park theme park, which is currently closed due to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, in Hong Kong. (Photo by Richard A. Brooks/AFP Photo)

In this April 14, 2018 photo, National Ballet of Cuba dancer Daniela Gomez Perez stands on point as she poses outside the Capitol in Havana, Cuba. Gomez, who says Cubans love dancing, trusts the next generation of leaders will continue such traditions and that art will continue to be the engine of Cuban society. Gomez said she is proud to represent Cuba during a dance trip in May to Washington, Tampa and Chicago, and that the Cuban state has always supported dance. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)

A man plays with his pet goat while taking a bath to cool off in a canal during hot and humid weather in Lahore, Pakistan May 30, 2018. (Photo by Mohsin Raza/Reuters)

These men are chased by the defiant elephants on May 4, 2013. Taken by Biplab Hazra in Bishnupur, India, the images show the extreme lengths the inhabitants of the town go to to deter elephants from damaging their crops and property. Elephants encroaching out of their habitats is an increasingly common occurrence with deforestation in much of India. (Photo by Biplab Hazra/Caters News Agency)

An Indian Sadhu, or Hindu holy man, performs a yoga position on International Yoga Day at Kamakhya temple in Gauhati, India, Friday, June 21, 2019. (Photo by Anupam Nath/AP Photo)