Law enforcement officers detain a man during a rally in support of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow, Russia on January 31, 2021. Thousands of people have taken to the streets across Russia to demand the release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, keeping up the wave of nationwide protests that have rattled the Kremlin. Hundreds have been detained by police. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

A grey heron is seen at the Sempione park, after Lombardy was downgraded from a red to an orange zone, loosening the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions including allowing non-essential shops to re-open, in Milan, Italy, April 13, 2021. (Photo by Flavio Lo Scalzo/Reuters)

A young couple rest on a bench, as a street actor wearing an Angel costume speaks on the phone in Nikolskaya street near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

Eddy the badger is pictured as Nicanor goes to leave water and fruits for the animals affected by the fires, in San Buenaventura, Bolivia on November 26, 2023. (Photo by Claudia Morales/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.

Burdened with a shawl full of her belongings, a woman stops for a rest on the road between Julaca and Puno in Peru. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images). Circa 1955

Caporal dancers perform during the carnival celebrations in Oruro, Bolivia, Saturday February 14, 2015. The Carnival of Oruro which is a religious festival dating back more than 2000 years in an ongoing pagan-catholic blend of religious practice in the region, and is one of UNESCO's Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. (Photo by Juan Karita/AP Photo)

A horse pulls a driving school car as other drivers push their vehicles behind during a demonstration by driving instructors in Belgrade, September 25, 1992. Due to gasoline shortage in the Yugoslav capital, driving instructors are staying away from work. (Photo by AP Photo)