This photo released by the Cleveland Animal Protective League shows Lurleen, the nursing mother and Noland the puppy snuggling up Wednesday, June 19, 2013, in Cleveland. Lurleen already is caring for four newborn kittens and now is nursing the orphaned week-old pit bull puppy in Cleveland. (Photo by AP Photo/Cleveland Animal Protective League)

Bianca Toniolo picks a daisy as the family take a walk through the woods 200 metres from their home in San Fiorano, March 19, 2020. This was the last time the family went to the woods as restrictions got stricter throughout the country to try and contain the spread of coronavirus. (Photo by Marzio Toniolo/Reuters)

Steven de Costa of France, top, and Kalvis Kalnins of Latvia react during the men's kumite -67kg elimination round for Karate at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, August 5, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Vincent Thian/AP Photo)

Pietro Sighel of Italy crashes during his heat of the men's 1,000-meter during the short track speedskating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Saturday, February 5, 2022, in Beijing. (Photo by David J. Phillip/AP Photo)

A groom leads his horse in the equine pool after working out on the track, during early morning workouts for the upcoming Derby race in Mumbai January 29, 2015. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

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.

In a picture taken with an underwater camera, a couple stands in front of a Polynesian priest during their underwater wedding ceremony on October 25, 2014 in Bora-Bora, in French Polynesia. The ceremony lasts twenty minutes and costs around 2700 euros. (Photo by Ben Thouard/AFP Photo)

Women wearing Dirndl, a traditional Alpine folk dress, run to get a place in a tent for the opening of the 185th Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, Germany, 22 September 2018. The Oktoberfest lasts until October 7 and is the world's largest beer festival. The beer festival typically draws over six million visitors. (Photo by Karl- Josef Hildenbrand/DPA/Alamy Live News)