Colombian fans during the International Friendly match between Canada and Colombia at Sports Illustrated Stadium on October 14, 2025 in Harrison, Nueva Jersey. (Photo by Leonardo Ramirez/eyepix via ZUMA Press Wire/Alamy Live News)

Participants jump over a bonfire as they celebrate the Pagan holiday of Ivan Kupala, a traditional holiday that has been observed in Ukraine since pre-Christian times, in Kyiv, on June 23, 2024, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. (Photo by Anatolii Stepanov/AFP Photo)

People walk on the 'Swiftie Steps' ahead of a Taylor Swift concert, following the cancellation of three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna because of a planned attack, at Wembley Stadium in London, Britain on August 15, 2024. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)

Julian, left, is photographed by his mother with friend Gianluca, right, under water at a public pool in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on a hot Friday, July 3, 2015. Germany faces a heat wave with temperatures up to 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) at the weekend. (Photo by Martin Meissner/AP Photo)

A model displays a creation from the Dolce&Gabbana Spring/Summer 2018 show at the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, September 24, 2017. (Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)

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.

Elfyn Evans of Great Britain and Daniel Barritt of Great Britain compete in their M-Sport WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC during Day One of the WRC Australia on September 11, 2015 in Coffs Harbour, Australia. (Photo by Massimo Bettiol/Getty Images)

Gal Gadot is all excited while arriving at the Revlon event in New York City on January 24, 2018. Gal wore a plunging black gown with sheer skirt. (Photo by Felipe Ramales/Splash News and Pictures)