A woman spits red paint as if it is blood protesting against bullfights in Madrid, Spain on March 27, 2016. Anti-bullfighting protesters have turn the iconic square of “Puerta del Sol” into a bullring. Protesters, almost naked covered with red paint as if it was blood, have demanded the abolition of bullfights under the slogan “The bull suffers!”. (Photo by Marcos del Mazo/Pacific Press)

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 bride gets ready during a mass wedding ceremony in the old quarters of Delhi February 20, 2015. A total of 12 couples took their wedding vows on Friday during the mass wedding ceremony organised by a Hindu religious organisation, an organiser said. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)

Women wait for customers at the fish harbour in Kasimedu Fish market, Chennai, India, on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Riya Mariyam R./Reuters)

Dog walkers enjoy the early morning sunrise at Tynemouth Beach in North Tyneside, on the north east coast of England on Monday, February 7, 2022. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)

“Show us our butts! Mucawana tribe – Angola. In Soba village, the Muhacaona (Mucawana) tribe, perhaps the best place i have visited. They use cow dung and fat to make this so nice haircut, and love the beads. They asked me to make pictures of their backs... and butts to see on the camera screen if everything was perfect!”. (Photo and comments by Eric Lafforgue)

Vanessa Low of Team Australia celebrates after winning gold in the Women’s Long Jump - T63 Final on day 9 of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at Olympic Stadium on September 02, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Low jumped 5.28m to set a new world record. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Children react after what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad near the Syrian Arab Red Crescent center in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus May 6, 2015. (Photo by Bassam Khabieh/Reuters)