A 16-foot- ( almost 5 meters ) tall hand sculpture named Quasi stands perched on its fingertips atop the roof of an art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand, Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Charlotte Graham-McLay/AP Photo)

Local residents participate in the annual carbide shooting on New Year's Eve in Zwolle, the Netherlands on December 31, 2023. (Photo by Vincent Jannink/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A media member looks at a humanoid robot portraying the Qin emperor Qin Shi Huang, during an organised media tour to Robot Mall, a store selling humanoid and other robots, in Beijing, China on August 6, 2025. (Photo by Florence Lo/Reuters)

Suat Demir, a 52-year-old parter, smokes a cigarette after finishing his work day in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, October 2, 2025. (Photo by Emrah Gurel/AP Photo)

Cailee Spaeny and Kerry Washington attend Netflix's “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” Los Angeles premiere on November 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images for Netflix)

“Tough Times for Orangutans”. Nature, first prize stories. Tim Laman, USA. Location: West Kalimantan, Indonesia. A Bornean orangutan climbs over 30 meters up a tree in the rain forest of Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, August 12, 2015. The lives of wild orangutans are brought to light. Threats to these orangutans from fires, the illegal animal trade and loss of habitat due to deforestation have resulted in many orphan orangutans ending up at rehabilitation centers. (Photo by Tim Laman/World Press Photo Contest)

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.

Actress Michelle Rodriguez attends the Shane Black 9th annual Hallowen party held on October 31, 2003 in Hancock Park, Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)