A technician holds a recently 3D printed replica of Darth Vader's melted helmet from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, in the Propshop headquarters at Pinewood Studios near London, Britain May 25, 2016. Propshop headquarters at Pinewood Studios is making limited edition replicas of Star Wars props. (Photo by Peter Nicholls/Reuters)

Fans dressed as movie Star Wars characters pose as they cerebrate the Star Wars Day in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. May 4 is known as Star Wars Day among fans worldwide since the date sounds phonetically similar to the franchise's slogan, “May the Force Be With You”. (Photo by Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo)

Sgt. William Olas Bee, a U.S. Marine from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, has a close call after Taliban fighters opened fire near Garmsir in Helmand Province of Afghanistan, May 18, 2008. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

It would have been so much better if the pictures created by Mister Blick were real. How wonderful it would be if these men were actually holding flowers, and none of these wars happened. Regretfully, all these wars have left their mark on the history of mankind. Wars are always bad. They bring nothing but destruction and terror to the regular people, while the big players make huge profits off of the suffering of the common folk. However, establishing dominance is an integral part of the human nature, and the desire to wage wars is simply an extension of this trait. Strong countries always suppress the weaker ones to gain even more power. Unfortunately, this is as inevitable as the sunrise or sunset. (Photo by Mister Blick)

A Republican farmer defending a farm on the outskirts of Irun against Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War, 6th September 1936. A comrade lies dead by his side. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Star Wars collector James Burns, 44, poses for a photograph with some of his collection in London December 2, 2015. He said “I've met so many wonderful people, all over the world. It's a wonderful community of likeminded people with an interest in Star Wars. There's nothing else like it”. (Photo by Paul Hackett/Reuters)

A Pasola rider reacts after throwing his spear during the Pasola war festival at Ratenggaro village on March 22, 2014 in Sumba Island, Indonesia. The Pasola Festival is an important annual event to welcome the new harvest season, which coincides with the arrival of “Nyale” sea worms during February or March each year. Pasola, an ancient ritual fighting game, involves two teams of men on horseback charging towards each other while trying to hit their rivals with “pasol” javelins and avoid being hit themselves. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/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.