A picture made available on 09 October 2016 shows competitors during a Legion Run event, in Sofiko near the city of Corinth, Greece, 08 October 2016. Legion Run is run covering five kilometres with obstacles of mud, fire, ice and barbed wire, which takes place in different countries around the globe. (Photo by Vassilis Psomas/EPA)

Body builders preparing at the backstage during the Bodybuilding Cup in Kiev, Ukraine on November 7, 2015 which includes classic bodybuilding, physicist and body fitness and bikini in the competition. (Photo by Nazar Furyk/Pacific Press)

Umbrellas are placed over the statute of the Beatles, during a photocall, on Liverpool's waterfront, in Liverpool, England, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. The city of Liverpool is getting set to celebrate the half-centenary of “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band”, one of the most influential albums by local heroes The Beatles. (Photo by Peter Byrne/PA Wire via AP Photo)

Dutch supermodel Bregje Heinen sets pulses racing as she models for lingerie brand Frederick's of Hollywood on February 18, 2020. The 26-year-old beauty, a former Victoria's Secret model, strips off in a launderette as she showcases the company's spring 2020 collection. (Photo by Frederick's of Hollywood/The Mega Agency)

President Woodrow Wilson speaks on telephone. Woodrow Wilson was the 28th U.S. President serving from 1913 – 1921. (Photo by Corbis)

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 image provided by Red Bull, Maria Paula Quintero of Colombia dives from the 20 metre platform during the first competition day of the seventh stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series on September 16, 2022 at Polignano a Mare, Italy. (Photo by Dean Treml/Red Bull via Getty Images)

A woman walks depicting a scene from the Iranian national epic poem “Shahnameh” in Tehran on August 5, 2025. (Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP Photo)