A girl looks on after a fire broke out in a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 11, 2020. (Photo by Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters)

National police transport an anti-government protester detainee during a protest against Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas March 13, 2014. Venezuela's state prosecutor said on Thursday the death toll from a month of violent protests had risen to 28, after the nation's top court ordered opposition mayors to dismantle barricades set up by street protesters. State prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz, speaking on the sidelines of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, also said 1,293 detainees had been released and 104 remained in custody accused of serious crimes during the anti-government demonstrations. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Only the most intrepid urban explorers cross the tattered ruins of the old Iron Curtain to endure the excessive bureaucracy, military paranoia and freezing winds of the East to hunt for the ghosts of an empire. Rebecca Litchfield is one who couldn’t resist the haunting allure of the ruins of the Soviet Union.

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.

Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi (C) waves at fans as she is driven through the streets of Johannesburg during her homecoming parade after being crowned in December 2019, Johannesburg, South Africa, 13 February 2020. Zozibini is the first black women to win the title. Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the United States-based Miss Universe Organization. (Photo by Kim Ludbrook/EPA/EFE)

Two cats watch a mouse walking on the pavement in Kuwait City on March 8,2017. (Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP Photo)

A man carries schoolchildren on his bicycle on a road in Srinagar, March 28, 2017. (Photo by Danish Ismail/Reuters)

In this Friday, September 15, 2017 photo, ballet dancers from Uruguay’s National ballet of the Sodre put on lipstick before a dress rehearsal for Romeo and Juliet in Montevideo, Uruguay. Dancers practice Monday through Friday for eight hours at a time. (Photo by Matilde Campodonico/AP Photo)