“The 8th annual Water War on Friday in the center of Tel-Aviv, Israel turned into a battlefield, quite literally. As two thousand people were having fun in the square, some water-fighters took to more radical behavior, targeting passing cars, motorcycles and public buses”. – iReport.cnn.com (Photo by Sergey Demyanchuk)

An Israeli soldier leaves the battlefield after an army exercise on at the Shizafon army base, in the Negev Desert north of the southern city of Eilat on January 31, 2012 in Shizafon, Israel. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

New York Yankees' Domingo Germán, center, is doused by teammates after he pitched a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics in a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday, June 28, 2023. The Yankees won 11-0. (Photo by Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP 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.

Santa Claus helps close out the "100 Year Anniversary of the 1911" by playing one chorus of "Jingle Bells" with the Colt 1911 Series 80 Government model. Ammo is .45 ACP Winchester 230 gr FMJ, approximately 98 rounds.

Roma's Gianluca Mancini scores his team's goal in the 1-0 Rome derby victory over Lazio at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy on April 6, 2024. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Reuters)