Newborn giant panda triplets, which were born to giant panda Juxiao (not pictured), are seen inside an incubator at the Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou, Guangdong province August 9, 2014. According to local media, this is the fourth set of giant panda triplets born with the help of artificial insemination procedures in China, and the birth is seen as a miracle due to the low reproduction rate of giant pandas. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

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.

Italian artist Marcello Barenghi draws incredibly realistic everyday objects that appear almost three dimensional with the help of colored pencils and occasional enhancements using markers or watercolor. Each work appears ever so slightly stylized which I think sets these apart from similar hyperrealistic drawings that are meant to ‘trick’ a viewer. If you want to see more, Barenghi runs a YouTube channel where he documents the process of almost every drawing.

A mine detection rat is given banana as a reward after successfully identifying an inactive mine on July 2, 2015 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) working with the Belgian NGO APOPO has recently begun testing the feasability of using large mine detection rats from Tanzania to help clear fields of mines and unexploded ordnance in one of the most bombed and mined countries in the world. (Photo by Taylor Weidman/Getty Images)

Devotees of the Chinese Jui Tui shrine are seen with spikes piercing their cheeks during a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket, Thailand in this October 19, 2015 combination photo. The festival, featuring face-piercing, sacrifice, spirit mediums and strict vegetarianism celebrates the local Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

Gorillas sit next to a ruler during a photocall for the annual weigh-in at London Zoo in London, Britain August 24, 2017. During the weigh-in, animals across the zoo have their vital statistics recorded including their height and weight and the information is then shared with zoos across the world to help zookeepers compare important information on thousands of endangered species. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)

A “jungle nymph” is measured during the annual weight-in ZSL London Zoo on August 21, 2014 in London, England. The height and mass of every animal in the zoo, of which there are over 16,000, is recorded and submitted to the Zoological Information Management System. This is combined with animal measurement data collected from over 800 zoos and aquariums in almost 80 countries, from which zoologists can compare information on thousands of endangered species. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Two brothers have built a human catapult to fly into a lake. Johannes Schrieber, 26, and his brother Daniel, 28, from Frankfurt, Germany built the wooden contraption, which can fire people five metres into the sky and 12 metres away. The brothers raised more than £700 through crowdfunding to buy the materials, with every penny well spent as nobody has died yet! (Photo by Caters News)