A Chinese man uses an old film camera to take a picture of relatives near the Forbidden City on March 27, 2014 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

A picture taken with slow shutter speed shows members of the group “The Kattfiller” from Attendorn taking part during the Norddeutsche Championship carnivalesque dance sport in Kassel (Hessen), Germany, 28 February 2016. About 1,100 qualified dancers show in different disciplines their skills. (Photo by Swen Pfoertner/EPA)

A cosplayer poses during Day 2 of London MCM Comic Con 2019 at ExCel on May 25, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Dredd/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Rachel Miner, 15, left, of Emmetsburg, Iowa, sits with Carlotta Haas, 15, a foreign exchange student from Duesseldorf, Germany, who had been living with Miner and her family but was called home, as they waited for her flight Wednesday, March 25, 2020, in at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Minneapolis. (Photo by Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP Photo)

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.

Anda Oliveira, 34, enjoys a waterfall in the Tijuca National Park, one of the world's biggest urban forests, marking the World Water Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 15, 2024. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)

Pakistan girls make selfies holding a Pakistan-made weapon displayed at the four-day International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2016 in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, November 23, 2016. (Photo by Shakil Adil/AP Photo)

A cat sits in the flooding waters from Hurricane Matthew in downtown Nichols, South Carolina, October 10, 2016. (Photo by Randall Hill/Reuters)