Despite the mild 14°С shoppers and commuters battle against the wind and rain on Waterloo Bridge, London on December 28, 2022. (Photo by Alex Lentati/London News Pictures)

A model wears a creation for Schiaparelli's Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2024 collection presented in Paris, Monday, January 22, 2024. (Photo by Christophe Ena/AP Photo)

People sit next to an art installation during the “Plastic Dinoland” exhibition by Japanese artist Hiroshi Fuji, in Hanoi, Vietnam, 17 March 2025. The exhibition, which features colorful installations of dinosaurs made from discarded toys, runs from 15 March to 01 June 2025 at The Japan Foundation in Hanoi. (Photo by Luong Thai Linh/EPA/EFE)

People take part in a lowrider car show celebrating lowriding culture and supporting immigration, in San Francisco, California, U.S., September 20, 2025. (Photo by Manuel Orbegozo/Reuters)

A woman and her dog compete in the Paris Sausage Walk along the banks of the River Seine on Sunday, November 16, 2025. The event raises funds for the well-being and adoption of dachshunds. (Photo by Dimtitar Dilkoff/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.

“The Last Pollen Spore Preparing to Leave a Ladybug Trying to Hold On, Because It Didn't Want to Be Alone”. Photo by Hiep Nguyen Hoang (Hanoi, Vietnam). Photographed in Hanoi, Vietnam, April 2012.

People take pictures of deer in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland December 5, 2016. (Photo by Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)