An anti-lockdown activist dressed as Father Christmas is arrested in Grosvenor Square during a demonstration in London, England, on November 28, 2020. London is to return to “Tier 2” or “high alert” covid-19 restrictions once the current England-wide coronavirus lockdown ends next Wednesday. All three of the tiers, assigned to local authorities across England, have been strengthened since the lockdown began on November 5, however, with the main impacts to be felt by the hospitality sector. (Photo by Mark Thomas/i-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 worker sprays disinfectant as sanitization operations against Coronavirus are carried out in the museum hosted by the Maschio Angioino medieval castle, in Naples, Italy, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (Photo by Alessandro Pone/LaPresse via AP Photo)

Sunrise in Ely, Cambridgeshire on April 15, 2020 by the River Great Ouse, England. The warm weather is set to continue until the weekend. (Photo by Veronica Johansson Poultney/Bav Media)

Mareya Wae U Seng of Thailand performs during Individual qualification and Individual team final subdivision 2 of Rhythmic Gymnastics final at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Friday, October 6, 2023. (Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)

Allie Plott, Lydia Smith, Madeline Evans and Ellie Boulware, members of The Tuscaloosa Community Dancers, prepare for a dress rehearsal of The Nutcracker at the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on December, 5, 2023. (Photo by Gary Cosby Jr./Tuscaloosa News)

The attendants of the Sumptha Raja, Agra Durbar. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images). 1873

A lizard is seen hunting for fish during the daytime on May 04, 2017 in West Sumatra, Indonesia. (Photo by Riau Images/Barcroft Images)