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.

Clay Lipsky has created a great series called Atomic Overlook. The project takes terribly boring scenic shots and combines them with some exciting nuclear testing. “Tourists will line up for anything and I always found humor in vacation destinations that are nothing but a bunch of people looking into a great abyss”, he says. “I understand the allure of a beautiful landscape, but as the world’s population grows so do the lines to view the “nothingness”. Atomic Overlook flips the script on that and gives new purpose to those suntanned masses”. (Photo by Clay Lipsky)

People view artist David Byrne's installation "Tight Spot" beneath Manhattan's High Line park on September 27, 2011 in New York City. The 48-foot by 20-foot inflatable globe is squeezed beneath the steel support framework of the High Line and is accompanied with a rumbling audio soundtrack created by distorting Byrne's voice. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Kim Kardashian goes shopping for gummy bears in sheer Gucci bra on October 9, 2017. She paired the risqué outfit with a waist-fitted midi length pencil skirt and clear lucite wedges from Kanye West’s fashion line. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

Thousands of heavy-duty trucks loaded with coal are lined up for up to 130 kilometres from the Mongolia-China border on a sole road in the Gobi desert, Mongolia, October 29, 2017. The journey can take more than a week. (Photo by Bazarsukh Rentsendorj/Reuters)

Visitors, wearing face masks, enter the Disneyland theme park in Shanghai as it reopened, Monday, May 11, 2020. Visits will be limited initially and must be booked in advance, and the company said it will increase cleaning and require social distancing in lines for the various attractions. (Photo by Sam McNeil/AP Photo)

Kanphitcha Sungsuk, 21, (C), lines up with young men to speak to officers during an army draft held at a school in Klong Toey, the dockside slum area in Bangkok, Thailand, April 6, 2017. Thailand is widely seen as a paradise for gay and transgender people, but many complain of being treated as second-class citizens and the obligation to respond to the draft can be a nightmare when they turn 21. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Two Corgi dogs collide as they cross the finish line during the SoCal “Corgi Nationals” championship at the Santa Anita Horse Racetrack in Arcadia, California on May 27, 2018. The event saw hundreds of Corgi dogs compete for the fastest dog title at the 17 race event. (Photo by Mark Ralston/AFP Photo)