Inside Kabul’s school for explosive detection dogs

Around 200 dogs train at a time at the Mine Detection Centre (MDC) in the Afghan capital, starting when they are just pups.

They are put through their paces around obstacle courses and are taught to correctly identify target smells from a conveyor belt of identical canisters during an intense two-year course.

Once qualified, they are a vital part of the team for Afghanistan’s bomb and mine detection squads.

“Dogs are protectors and a good friend for me, and always one step ahead of me in dangerous places,” says Zainuddin Quraishi, chief trainer at the MDC.