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 girl gets her hands decorated with traditional henna patterns at a roadside stall ahead of Eid-al Fitr to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Karachi, Pakistan, July 17, 2015. (Photo by Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)

Director Pawel Pawlikowski holds his Oscar for best foreign language film for “Ida”, with presenters Chiwetel Ejiofor (L) and Nicole Kidman during the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 22, 2015. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

A model presents a creation by German designer Karl Lagerfeld as part of his Haute Couture Fall Winter 2015/2016 fashion show for French fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a casino in Paris, France, July 7, 2015. (Photo by Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

Residents of the Korean port of Inchon surrender to American troops. (Photo by Bert Hardy/Getty Images). 1950

A giant new exhibition space created by famed graffiti artist Banksy opens to the public on May 3, 2008 in London, England. The disused tunnel beneath Waterloo station has been transformed by 30 artists from around the world. The three day event, tagged as the “Cans festival”, also invites the public to add their own stencil art. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

Esau the ape at the piano. (Photo by Reinhold Thiele/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images). Circa 1900

Jimmy Arnold, an overweight boy from Rochester, bites into a cake. (Photo by Reg Birkett/Keystone/Getty Images). 14th April 1951