A Palestinian man carries a lion cub as he shows it to children in Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on December 4, 2019. (Photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

A person wearing a face mask is reflected in an art work entitled “A=V” by Ben Cullen Williams, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Covent Garden, London, Britain on October 16, 2020. (Photo by John Sibley/Reuters)

The Taal Volcano in the central Philippines boomed to life on Sunday, January 12, 2020 spilling ash and causing evacuations in nearby communities – and officials warn that a more powerful eruption is imminent. One of the world’s smallest volcanoes, Taal is among two dozen active volcanoes in the Philippines, which lies along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. (Photo by Kester Ragaza/Pacific Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A pair of Easter bunnies socialise in the sunshine on April 4, 2021 in Brighton, United Kingdom. Earlier this week, the UK government eased rules on socialising, permitting groups of six people (or more if limited to two households) to meet outdoors. The latest lockdown measures were imposed at the end of last year to curb a surge in Covid-19 cases. (Photo by David McHugh/Brighton Pictures)

Underground dancers dressed in Spiderman costumes perform in the subway of Saint Petersburg late on May 21, 2021. (Photo by Olga Maltseva/AFP Photo)

A mural depicting a resting cat by Russian street artist Vladi is photographed by a man outside a hotel in Hong Kong on November 27, 2023. (Photo by Peter Parks/AFP 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.

A man feeds monkeys at Longchi scenic area, in Dujiangyan, Sichuan province, China May 24, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)