A fox cub gets up to mischief in a garden in Halifax, West Yorkshire on May 10, 2022. The homeowners say a family of foxes visit regularly from their nearby den. (Photo by Steve Midgley/Solent News)

A cat dressed in a traditional outfit takes part during the Orthodox Christmas celebration in Kiev, Ukraine on January 7, 2020. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas Day on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. (Photo by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

A U.S. Navy F18 fighter jet takes off from aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during a FONOPS (Freedom of Navigation Operation Patrol) in South China Sea, March 3, 2017. The U.S. military took journalists Friday to the carrier on routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea, sending a signal to China and American allies of its resolve to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in one of the world's security hotspots. (Photo by Erik De Castro/Reuters)

Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon and reporter Alex Chappell are doused with water after the game against the Miami Marlins in Washington on August 30, 2019. (Photo by Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports)

A girl applies henna patterns on her hands while waiting for customers, ahead of Eid al-Fitr celebrations, in Karachi, Pakistan on April 9, 2024. (Photo by Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)

London Fashion Week makeup artist Val Garland in the first decade of September 2025 has created the definitive airport look ahead of Fashion Week, designed for long haul travel and inspired by Heathrow. Made entirely with cosmetics available in Heathrow’s World Duty Free beauty offering, passengers will have a chance to get the look themselves, as well as other immersive experiences as part of the Redefine Your Beauty campaign. (Photo by Daniel Lewis/Heathrow)

Alisa, 10, gets a kiss from one of the wolves her family tamed in the village of Zacherevye, Belarus, on August 17, 2014. (Photo by Sergei Gapon/AFP 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.