A spiritual leader (R) of the Huni Kui Indian tribe blows an herbal powder into the nose of a tribal member during a ceremony outside the village of Novo Segredo along the Envira river of Brazil's northwestern Acre state, March 9, 2014. Many indigenous groups, including the Huni Kui, Ashaninka, and Madija, live in villages in the Brazilian rainforest near the border with Peru. (Photo by Lunae Parracho/Reuters)

A girl jumps to touch cherry blossoms in full bloom in Fussa, outskirts Tokyo, Japan, 05 April 2014. Temperatures being very constant made blossoms to keep full bloom for holiday makers. (Photo by Kimimasa Mayama/EPA)

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 reveler takes part of the Light Festival parade in San Jose, Costa Rica on December 14, 2019. (Photo by Ezequiel Becerra/AFP Photo)

A couple shares a light moment in a Mass Transit Railway (MTR) subway train in Hong Kong, China on August 28, 2019. (Photo by Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters)

Emily Ratajkowski and Vanessa Hudgens attend the 73rd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 09, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

Adult film actress/director Joanna Angel and her husband, adult film actor Small Hands, attend the 2018 Adult Video News Awards at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on January 27, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Sunrise in Ely, Cambridgeshire on April 15, 2020 by the River Great Ouse, England. The warm weather is set to continue until the weekend. (Photo by Veronica Johansson Poultney/Bav Media)