In this Saturday, February 18, 2017 photo, revelers take part in the “Guanabara Pearl” carnival street party on Paqueta Island in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Merry makers ferried across Guanabara Bay to Paqueta Island for the parade. (Photo by Mauro Pimentel/AP Photo)

The thousands of students gathered at Newcastle Racecourse near Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom on March 3, 2019 for a booze-filled night of mayhem. The last race ended at approximately 8pm then the grandstand became like a night-club. (Photo by Craig Connor/North News and Pictures)

Viking re-enactors from the Gullinkambi group pose for pictures as part of the Jorvik Viking Festival on February 21, 2025. 100s of Viking re-enactors will march through the streets of York tomorrow. (Photo by James Glossop/The Times & Sunday Times)

A reveller attends the “Amigos da Onça” street party on the second day of Carnival on February 10, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

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.

Jordan Matter showcases their athletic prowess in everyday situations such as a martial artist shaving with a samurai sword, an ice hockey goalie shopping and a gymnast balancing from a street sign. Photo: “River View” – Jacob Jonas & Jill Wilson – Acro Yoga Specialists. (Photo by Jordan Matter)

A police officer gives instructions to migrants rushing to board a train that would take them towards Serbia, at the railway station in the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Wednesday, August 20, 2015. Macedonian police stepped up the security at the border with Greece apparently trying to stem recent surge of migrants who are coming from Greece. (Photo by Darko Vojinovic/AP Photo)

People watch Russian heavy weapons at Tverskaya street during the rehearsal of the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia, 04 May 2022. Victory Day is held annually on 09 May and marks the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. (Photo by Yuri Kochetkov/EPA/EFE)