Indian children work nearby to their parents at a construction project in front of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on January 30, 2010 in New Delhi, India. The children accompany their parents to the work site, where if they are prepared to work, they will receive money for bread an milk and be provided with dinner by the contractor. The sheer scale of the project has drawn an enormous population of migrant workers from all over India.

Citizens who visited the Blue House guest house on April 20, 2025 are looking around the interior. The number of visitors has skyrocketed since the impeachment of former President Yoon Seok-yeol, as the possibility of the next government returning to the Blue House has been raised. (Photo by Koh Woon-ho)

Sasha, a police dog, wears a cap and gown, on the day of the 374th Commencement exercises at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters)

A dog jumps into a pool at the “Dogs and Fun” fair at the Westfalenhallen congress centre in Dortmund, western Germany, on May 23, 2025. Until May 25, dog breeds and dog-related shows, activities and products will be presented during the fair at the Messe Dortmund event venue. (Photo by Ina Fassbender/AFP Photo)

A child poses with face painting during the event in Canning, West Bengal on June 15, 2025. For generations Bahurupi artists from West Bengal have been practicing in the art of face painting. Using their painting techniques they can easily metamorphose into different characters during a performance, which often represents tribal myths. These traditional artists scrape a living from their performances, relying on the generosity of audiences for their income. (Photo by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

A young anoa, also known as midget buffalo, named Tycoon runs around at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, on November 9, 2012. (Photo by Maurizio Gambarini/EPA)

Oded Balilty is an Israeli documentary photographer. He is an Associated Press photographer and won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography in 2007. Photo: A Jewish settler struggles with an Israeli security officer during clashes that erupted as authorities evacuated the West Bank settlement outpost of Amona, east of the Palestinian town of Ramallah, in this February 1, 2006, file photo. (Photo by Oded Balilty/AP Photo)

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.