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.

“Rescuers were digging through mud and debris Friday to retrieve more bodies strewn across a farming valley in the southern Philippines by a powerful typhoon. The death toll from the storm has surpassed 500, with more than 400 people missing”. – Bullit Marquez via Associated Press

Photo: Children look at the a damaged road destroyed by flash floods at the height of Typhoon Bopha in the village of Andap, New Bataan town, Compostela Valley province, December 5, 2012. (Photo by Ted Aljibe)

Japan Self-Defense Force members pay their respect to unidentified earthquake victims in vehicles during a mess funeral on April 8, 2011 in Yamamoto, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The 9.0 magnitude strong earthquake struck offshore on March 11 at 2:46pm local time, triggering a tsunami wave of up to ten metres which engulfed large parts of north-eastern Japan, and also damaging the Fukushima nuclear plant and threatening a nuclear catastrophe. The death toll continues to rise with numbers of dead and missing exceeding 20,000 in a tragedy not seen since World War II in Japan. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images)

Sara Sampaio is seen wearing a pink knit sweater and a pink leather skirt during Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2019 on September 24, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Timur Emek/Getty Images)

Australian rapper Amethyst Amelia Kelly, known professionally as Iggy Azalea is seen on the set of Extra TV on July 10, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

In the mountains of central Vietnam, a colossal pair of hands lifts a golden thread of walkway high above the clifftops, as if the mountain itself has sprouted limbs. Here: A giant hand structure at the Gold Bridge is seen on Ba Na hill near Danang city, Vietnam on August 1, 2018. (Photo by Reuters/Kham)

American model and television personality Kendall Jenner attends the Longchamp 70th Anniversary Celebration at Opera Garnier on September 11, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dominique Maitre/WWD/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon walks the runway for Gypsy Sport show during New York Fashion Week on September 12, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)