Victory day celebrations in Lambeth London on May 8, 1945 as man dresses up as Hitler in a pub saluting with beer. (Photo by Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy Stock Photo)

The calm before storm Bert, with the sunrise on November 22, 2024 through Durdle Door in Dorset, UK, the sun beams through the famous rock arch on the Jurassic Coastline, a shot known as “Through the Keyhole”. It only happens from the end of November to early January and not that often as clear skies are needed on the horizon for the sun to shine through. (Photo by Steve Hogan/Picture Exclusive)

Giraffes at sunrise at the Loisaba Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya in the first decade of December 2025. (Photo by Andrew Mason/Solent News & Photo Agency)

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 firefighter battling the King Fire watches as a backfire burns along Highway 50 in Fresh Pond, California September 16, 2014. The fire led officials to call on about 400 people to evacuate from areas threatened by the blaze, Cal Fire spokeswoman Alyssa Smith said. It has charred more than 11,500 acres (4,654 hectares) and was 5 percent contained on Tuesday. (Photo by Noah Berger/Reuters)

Cemetery overcrowding is an issue that resonates around the world, particularly in its most cramped cities and among religions that forbid or discourage cremation. The reality of relying on finite land resources to cope with the endless stream of the dying has brought about creative solutions... (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

An Israeli army officer gives explanations to journalists during an army organised tour in a tunnel said to be used by Palestinian militants for cross-border attacks, July 25, 2014. (Photo by Jack Guez/Reuters)

A man on a bike takes a picture of an armoured vehicle riding on a street during a protest against the military coup, in Yangon, Myanmar, February 14, 2021. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)