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 April 18, 2019 photo, tattoo artist Lalo Calva inks a tattoo on client Adrian Alonso Rodriguez, a journalist, announcer and dubbing artist, at the Corona Tattoo parlor in Mexico City. Not only inks and techniques have changed in Mexico over the years, but tattoos themselves have evolved from stigmatized symbols of gangs, violence and poverty to an art form. (Photo by Marco Ugarte/AP Photo)

Members of Barcelona's Latin community perform traditional dances in the city center on the occasion of the national day of Spain on October 12, 2023. (Photo by Jordi Boixareu/Alamy Live News)

Dancers take part in the World Salsa Festival at El Pueblo Coliseum in Cali, Colombia, 26 September 2025. (Photo by Ernesto Guzman Jr./EPA)

Members of the contemporary circus company Cirk La Putyka perform in front of sculpture of Franz Kafka's head to entertain local residents in Prague, Czech Republic, 21 April 2020. The aim of the Cirk La Putyka events in the streets of Czech capital is to get live art back to people during the lockdown. According to them, when people can't go to the artists, to the theater, the actors go to the people. The Czech government has imposed a lockdown in an attempt to slow down the spread of the pandemic COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. (Photo by Martin Divisek/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

U.S Army combat camera photographer Spc. Hilda Clayton took this photo July 2, 2013 that was released by the U.S. Army, that shows an Afghan soldier engulfed in flame as a mortar tube explodes during an Afghan National Army live-fire training exercise in Laghman Province, Afghanistan. The accident killed Clayton and four Afghan National Army soldiers. (Photo by Spc. Hilda Clayton/U.S. Army via AP Photo)

Young Slovaks dressed in traditional costumes throw a bucket of water at a girl as part of Easter celebrations in the village of Trencianska Tepla, Slovakia, April 9, 2012. Slovakia's men splash women with water to symbolize youth, strength and beauty for the upcoming spring season. (Photo by Samuel Kubani/AFP)

Divorce is not traditionally a reason to party, but these hilarious cakes provide a fun and humorous way to celebrate new beginnings. London-based baker Fay Millar started creating and selling the fun confections to meet the growing trend for break-up parties. She says that inquiries about her cakes come mainly from ex-wives who want to celebrate the divorce with their friends.