A picture made available on 08 July 2015 showsa lightning strikes during a heavy storm over Poznan in the night of 07 July 2015. Severe storms passed last night over Poland causing lots of damages to buildings, trees, electricity and railway tractions. (Photo by Lukasz Ogrodowczyk/EPA)

A reveler jumps over a bonfire during the night of San Juan in Alcobendas near Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, June 24, 2015. The San Juan night coincides with the Summer solstice and it's the welcome to Summer. This celebration takes place during the shortest night of the year in almost all cities and towns of Spain. (Photo by Andres Kudacki/AP Photo)

Vehicles clog a highway during a hazy day in Beijing, China, Wednesday, February 26, 2014. Beijing remained cloaked in hazardous white pollution hiding much of its skyline Wednesday, despite the announced closures or production cuts at 147 of the city's industrial plants. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

Relatives of a missing person scuffle with police officers on the bank of the Yangtze River, near Jingjiang, Jiangsu province January 17, 2015. A search and rescue operation was still underway after the boat capsized on January 15, leaving 22 people missing, including foreigners. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

An Israeli soldier of the Caracal battalion smiles during a 23-kilometer march marking the end of their training in Israel's Negev desert, near Kibbutz Sde Boker February 14, 2013. The “Caracal” battalion, two-thirds of whose members are women, was established in 2004 with the purpose of incorporating female soldiers in combat units. The main mission of Caracal is routine patrols on Israel's border with Egypt to intercept infiltrators and smuggling from the Sinai desert. (Photo by Darren Whiteside/Reuters)

President Woodrow Wilson speaks on telephone. Woodrow Wilson was the 28th U.S. President serving from 1913 – 1921. (Photo by Corbis)

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 woman photographs a Norwegian spruce Christmas tree from Oslo after it was lit at Trafalgar Square in central London, December 4, 2014. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)