Moto Stunts International put on a display showing a motorcycle riding through fire, on August 24, 2023 in West Bay, Dorset. The Melplash Agricultural Society Show, held in West Dorset, is a prominent agricultural exhibition in the South West region. Besides providing a platform for trade, visitors can also witness animal judging and gain valuable insights into food production and farming practices. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

Toyoda Gosei Co Ltd's personal mobility concept airbag car "Flesby" is displayed at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan, October 28, 2015. (Photo by Yuya Shino/Reuters)

Members of the Russian Red Army Choir perform at Water Front Theatre in Beirut September 13, 2014. (Photo by Jamal Saidi/Reuters)

Participants ride horses, hold spears and wear historic armoured suits of the Middle Ages as they compete during the Saint George international knight tournament in Moscow, Russia, May 3, 2015. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters)

Rugby Union, New Zealand vs Tonga, IRB Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool C, St James' Park, Newcastle, Englandon October 9, 2015: Fans is fancy dress before the game. (Photo by Andrew Yates/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.

A tomtit bird flies past a squirrel running on a fence after a snowfall in a park in Almaty, Kazakhstan, January 12, 2016. (Photo by Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

A wildfire on the Scottish island in the first decade of April 2025. Fire services are calling on people to act responsibly after an “extreme” wildfire warning was issued for the whole of Scotland. (Photo by Police Scotland/PA Wire)