The May Queen during the Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland on April 30, 2022. A dynamic reinterpretation of an ancient Celtic celebration of the return of summer, the festival is centered around the story of the May Queen and the Green Man, and the lighting of the Beltane bonfire, symbolic of purification, healing and new life. Edinburgh's Beltane celebrations are the largest of their kind in the world with around 250 volunteer performers and thousands of spectators. (Photo by Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images)

Dinosaur mockups are installed in Danghangpo, Goseong, some 466km southeast of Seoul, South Korea, 06 September 2021, 25 days ahead of the Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo 2021 set for 01 October until 07 November. Goseong is one of the world's three largest fossilized dinosaur footprint sites, along with Colorado in the United States and the west coast of Argentina. (Photo by Yonhap/EPA/EFE)

A woman villager cleans garbage in front of her house as flood hits Tanjungsari village in Tasikmalaya, Indonesia, February 23, 2018. (Photo by Adeng Bustomi/Reuters/Antara Foto)

Human like robots and robotic faces that mimic human expressions are displayed at the annual World Robot Conference at the Beijing Etrong International Exhibition and Convention Center in Beijing, Wednesday, August 16, 2023. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

Indonesian students wearing paper masks take part in the East Java Mask Parade in Surabaya, Indonesia, 13 December 2015. Thousands of people participate in the traditional parade to preserve the mask custom among the younger generation. (Photo by Fully Handoko/EPA)

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.

Professor Xie Yong works on an art installation of a beaver, which is made out of plastic and around 300,000 needles, in Shenyang, Liaoning province, July 23, 2013. The needles, according to Xie, represent the pain felt by animals when their fur is taken off to produce clothing. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A woman takes part in a carnival parade as part of New Year's Eve festivities in San Jose, Costa Rica, 27 December 2023. (Photo by Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA/EFE)