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.

Tech. Sgt. Milo Hinson, 3rd Combat Camera Squadron, uses a flashlight while shooting a Berretta 9mm during the night-fire portion of Advance Weapons, Tactics and Techniques training in San Antonio. During night-fire training, airmen learn how to tactically illuminate targets with flashlights and practice using night vision goggles. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snyder/U.S. Air Force). 2011

U.S. Army soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment deployed to Combat Outpost Sabari, Afghanistan scan their area as they begin a multi-day air assault mission near the Pakistani border of eastern Afghanistan's Khost province May 2, 2012. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua L. DeMotts/U.S. Air Force)

HMS Dragonís Mk8 Lynx Helicopter conducted day into night flying serial by L(Phot) Dave Jenkins which won the Media Operations Category which was awarded to the best single image that is judged to create the most impact as a news in the annual Peregrine Trophy awards. (Photo by Dave Jenkins/PA Wire)

Then U.S. Army First Lieutenant Kirsten Griest (C) and fellow soldiers participate in combatives training during the Ranger Course on Fort Benning, Georgia, in this handout photograph taken on April 20, 2015 and obtained on August 20, 2015. When Griest and another woman completed the daunting U.S. Army Ranger school this week they helped end questions about whether women can serve as combat leaders, as the Pentagon is poised to open new roles, including elite Navy SEALs, to women in coming months. The feat by Griest and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver followed a re-evaluation of the role of women after their frontline involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan and the end of a rule barring them from combat roles in 2013. (Photo by Spc. Nikayla Shodeen/Reuters/U.S. Army)

A suspected Vietcong is kicked by a Vietnamese soldier holding a rifle as another soldier attempts to tie his hands on October 22, 1965. The prisoner was one of 15 captured October 21 near Xom Chua when government troops raided in the plain of reeds area. Troops killed 43 suspected Vietcong and seized some arms. (Photo by Richard Merron/AP Photo)

“The Falklands War, also known as the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was a 1982 limited war between Argentina and the United Kingdom. The conflict resulted from the long-standing dispute over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which lie in the South Atlantic east of Argentina”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Kenneth “Rocky” Hudson, a Petty Officer from Gosport aboard HMS Hermes, the flagship of the Royal Navy, heading for the Falkland Islands. The troops are waging a Mexican moustache growing contest and Kenneth is wearing 30mm cannon shells slung around his body and sporting a fat cigar. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images). 18th April 1982

France's Typhaine Solde competes in the women's long jump - T64 finals of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 28, 2021. (Photo by Kim Price/CSM/Rex Features/Shutterstock)