Pfc. Sebastian Rodriguez, machine gunner, Weapons Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, fires an M240 machine gun during a night squad-attack exercise, here, May 22, 2013. (Photo by Sgt. Sarah Fiocco/U.S. Marines)

Trevor Olson, from Minnesota, dressed as the character “Joker”, poses for a photograph at New York's Comic Con convention, October 9, 2014, in New York City. The event draws thousands of costumed fans, panels of pop culture luminaries and features a sprawling floor of vendors in a space equivalent to more than three football fields in Javits Center. (Photo by Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

“I’d come to the Altai Mountains on an Adventure Sherpas tour. Our group of 12 was made up mostly of Minnesotans who’d left warm weather and falling leaves for frosty Mongolia. We’d come to sleep in cozy ger tents, the traditional yurt abode of the Mongolian steppe; sip mare’s milk tea; climb mountain glaciers; ride horses to an ancient battle site, and attend the annual Eagle Hunting Festival in Ölgiy...”. – Kathryn Kysar via The Star Tribune. Here: hunter Berek and his eagle outside his home. (Photo by Brad Ruoho/The Star Tribune)

Sixty-eight year old cross-country runner Rosie Swale-Pope is interviewed while sitting in her cart, “The Icebird”, in Upperville, Virginia March 13, 2015. Swale-Pope, who is from Great Britain and once ran an unsupported 20,000 mile run around the globe, is currently running across the United States from New York City to San Francisco in support of cancer research. (Photo by Gary Cameron/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.

In this handout artists impression provided by the Russia 2018 Organising Commitee, the Rostov on Don Stadium is shown as proposed and presented as part of the Russia 2018 World Cup bid, on September 29, 2011 in Russia. (Illustration by Russia 2018 via Getty Images)

A gallery assistant poses by a sculpture entitled “Dark Place” by Australian artist Ron Mueck displayed at Thaddaeus Ropac gallery in London, Britain, October 11, 2021. The exhibition dedicated to Ron Mueck will open to the public from Oct. 12 to Nov. 13 ahead of Frieze Week. (Photo by Matthew Childs/Reuters)