Cynthia the Kodiak Bear enjoys a whole Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon to celebrate her 28th birthday at Taronga Zoo on January 17, 2005 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

A baby Chimpanzee plays in its enclosure at Taronga Zoo July 14, 2006 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

Fireworks light up the skyline over Sydney Harbour during the midnight fireworks session as Sydney Celebrates New Year's Eve with the theme of “Time To Dream” on on January 1, 2012 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Maria Sharapova of Russia arrives at the 2012 Australian open Players Party at Crown Towers on January 15, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)

Martin Garwood prepares to release baby penguins at Sydney Aquarium on January 18, 2012 in Sydney, Australia. Three baby penguins were released into the aquarium and reunited with their parents for the first time since birth. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

The number of soldiers on both sides of WWII that were killed or went missing is just staggering. Now, the mystery surrounding one RAF pilot and what happened to him and his plane has been solved after 70 years. RAF flight Sergeant Dennis Copping climbed into his Kittyhawk P-40 aircraft in June 1942 to fly the plane to another airbase for repairs. He was never seen or heard from again.

Passengers from the ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast are rescued by the South Korean Coast guard in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, south of Seoul, on April 16, 2014. Almost 300 people were missing after a ferry sank off South Korea on Wednesday, the coastguard said, in what could be the country's biggest peacetime disaster in nearly 20 years. (Photo by AP Photo)

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.