Hundreds of people pack the Canaveral national seashore's Playalinda Beach as a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, carrying a U.S. Navy communications satellite, lifts off from Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Friday, June 24, 2016, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The satellite is designed to significantly improve ground communications for U.S. forces on the move. (Photo by Craig Rubadoux/Florida Today via AP Photo)

Monaco's Princess Charlotte Casiraghi arrives to attend a mass at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral during the celebrations marking Monaco's National Day, on November 19, 2016 in Monaco. (Photo by Valery Hache/Reuters)

People in costume take photos during a Halloween event on October 31, 2015 in Lan Kwai Fong, Central District, Hong Kong. Halloween, a named taken from 'All Hallows' Even' falls on the day before All Saints' Day on November 1, a holiday when Christians remember their deceased loved ones. (Photo by Jerome Favre/Getty Images)

Angel Taylor Hill attends Angel Taylor Hill introduces the new Tease Dreamer Fragrance Collection at Victoria's Secret on March 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

This time exposure photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows a series of lightning strikes over Santa Barbara, Calif., seen from Stearns Wharf in the city's harbor, Tuesday evening, March 5, 2019. A storm soaking California on Wednesday could trigger mudslides in wildfire burn areas where thousands of residents are under evacuation orders, authorities warned. (Photo by Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP Photo)

Visitors dressed in superhero costumes attend the Paris Comics Expo at the Parc Floral in Paris, France, April 15, 2016. (Photo by Charles Platiau/Reuters)

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.

Actor Candis Cayne performs at John Varvatos + OUT Support the Gay Men's Chorus of LA on September 29, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for John Varvatos)