Beautician Alex Smith, 26, does the nails of Jules Aspen, 40, at the Madame Beauty salon in Chirton, North Tyneside, UK on July 13, 2020. Nail bars, beauty salons, tattoo and massage studios, physical therapy businesses, spas and piercing services are able to reopen in the latest lifting of restrictions in England. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty 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 Filipino pet owner carries her dog as she prays before the animal blessing rites at the Our Lady of Remedies Parish Church in Malate district, Manila, Philippines on Sunday, October 5, 2014. Several Filipinos brought their pets to be blessed during the annual event which is also done to celebrate the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)

This photo taken on April 25, 2015 shows a pet male monkey named “JK” (R) and his partner “Shaki” (L) eating dinner at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. Jamil, a 45-year single Malaysian man, has unusual pets – two macaque monkeys. JK and Shaki, both nine years old, usually ride with Jamil on his motorcycle and they often have dinner together in public restaurants, drawing instant public awe. (Photo by Mohd Rasfan/AFP Photo)

A man takes his pet African spurred tortoise called Lupin for a walk during a heatwave in Tokyo, Japan on July 3, 2022. (Photo by Masatoshi Okauchi/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Motorcycle enthusiast Gilbert Delos Reyes rides with his pet dog Bogie, in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines, November 26, 2020. (Photo by Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)

A woman wearing a protective face mask carries her pet cat in a backpack as they wait to cross a street, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Barcelona, Spain on April 9, 2021. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)

Professional dog walker Nobuaki Moribe leads his clients' pets across an intersection in Tokyo on Friday, May 28, 2021. (Photo by Hiro Komae/AP Photo)