“Mount Hua, or Hua Shan, or Xiyue located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi province, about 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of Xi'an. It is one of China's Five Great Mountains, and has a long history of religious significance. Originally classified as having three peaks, in modern times the mountain is classified as five main peaks, of which the highest is the South Peak at 2,154.9 metres (7,070 ft)”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Trip to Xi'an 西安. (Photo by Grant Robinson)

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.

Papier-mache pandas, created by French artist Paulo Grangeon, are covered with conical hats as they are displayed under the rain at the financial Central district in Hong Kong June 21, 2014. The installation arrived in the city on Monday, launching the month-long “1600 Pandas World Tour in Hong Kong: Creativity meets Conservation” organized by a local art organiser, according to the official press release. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

A woman laughs as she takes part in the “Domingo Fareleiro” (Floury Sunday in Galician) festival in the village of Xinzo de Limia, northwestern Spain, on January 21, 2018. Domingo Fareleiro (Floury Sunday) takes place annually in Xinzo de Limia, Spain, in a unique celebration that gives the starting signal for a long festive period known as Entroido, or Carnival. (Photo by Miguel Riopa/AFP Photo)

A worker walks beside the ocean liner Queen Mary II in a dock at Blohm&Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, June 14, 2016. The mighty Queen Mary 2 is just days away from setting sail after the most expensive refurbishment of any ship in history. Tens of millions of pounds have been spent on the 151,200-tonne ship as 2,500 workers complete the month-long major interior overhaul. (Photo by Fabian Bimmer/Reuters)

A sales assistant poses for photographs with a mealworm cookie in Seoul, South Korea, August 8, 2016. Insect-eating, or entomophagy, has long been common in much of the world, including South Korea, where boiled silky worm pupae, or beondegi, are a popular snack. Now, South Korea is looking to expand its insect industry as a source of agricultural income. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

A woman participates in an insect-eating competition at a scenic spot in Lijiang, Yunnan province, China June 25, 2017. Insects have been a part of Yunnan cuisine for centuries, long before their potential as sustainable sources of protein caught the eye of the Western world. Bee larvae, grasshoppers and cicadas are just some items found on menus in the region. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

People line up to buy toilet paper and baby diapers at a supermarket in downtown Caracas January 19, 2015. There's a booming new profession in Venezuela: standing in line. The job usually involves starting before dawn, enduring long hours under the Caribbean sun, dodging or bribing police, and then selling a coveted spot at the front of huge shopping lines. As Venezuela's ailing economy spawns unprecedented shortages of basic goods, panic-buying and a rush to snap up subsidized food, demand is high and the pay is reasonable. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)