Visitors pose for a picture next to a mallard duck on the cobblestones of St Peter's Square with St Peter's Basilica in the background at The Vatican, on May 5, 2025. (Photo by Alberto Pizzoli/AFP Photo)

A Pelican attempts to take a persons belongings while they are sat in St James' Park, London on Monday, August 11, 2025. Temperatures will soar above 30°C in parts of the UK in the coming days, with another heatwave possible in some areas. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)

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 Ukrainian serviceman fires a 2S7 Pion self-propelled gun during military exercises near the village of Divychky in Kiev region, Ukraine, October 21, 2016. (Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

A farmer harvests broccoli in the town of al-Ansariyeh south of Sidon, Lebanon March 15, 2016. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Reuters)

An Exmoor wild goat silhouetted in the sky over the Bristol Channel at the valley of the Rocks, North Devon, as the UK's heat wave continues on July 19, 2018. (Photo by Paul Silver/South West News Service)

A Mongolian Bloody Mary, made with pickled sheep eyeballs and tomato juice, is displayed at the Disgusting Food Museum in Malmo, Sweden November 1, 2018. (Photo by Mikael Nilsson/Reuters)

A herd of wildebeest cross the skyline against the fading light in Masai Mara, Kenya, 25 August 2017. Stunning sunset photos silhouette Africa’s wildlife against streaks of orange and red sky. In August, German photographer Ingo Gerlach was on safari in the Masai Mara when he convinced his safari guide to stop and take in the sunset. The wildlife photographer was rewarded with his patience by an eye-catching sunset, which cast Africa’s wildlife into dark shadows against the vibrant skies. (Photo by Ingo Gerlach/Barcroft Images)