A monkey drinks water from a tap on a hot afternoon in Jammu, the winter capital Kashmir, India, 17 May 2016. Temperatures of around 42 degrees Celsius were forecast in the region. According to the news reports the Indian government decided to divert water by its river interlinking plans from rivers like Brahmaputra and the Ganges towards those rivers facing the drought likesituation . Many Indian states have been affected by drought and have been hit hard by water scarcity. (Photo by Jaipal Singh/EPA)

Leopard seal chasing a Gentoo penguin in Antarctica. This image wins the gold prize in the behaviour – mammals category, and the grand prize of World Nature Photographer of the Year. (Photo by Amos Nachoum/World Nature Photography Awards)

Poisoned River. Abstract Winner. A detailed photograph of a stream filled with poison. “Poisoned Beauty” is a personal project that tells the story of the natural disaster in the Apuseni Mountains in Transylvania, which was a result of chemical waste generated by copper and gold mining, but in a beautifully abstract way. (Photo by Gheorghe Popa/Drone Photography Awards 2021)

A group police are seen outside the home of a senior police officer in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Thai police have arrested a fellow officer who fired multiple gunshots from his home in Bangkok which forced an over 24 hours-long standoff after his colleagues tried to take him to be treated for mental illness. (Photo by Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo)

France's Ian Jason is tackled by Japan's Mei Ohtani during the first day of the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Friday, March 31, 2023. (Photo by Anthony Kwan/AP Photo)

Femen activists with their bare chests reading “Fascists out of ballot boxes” are held back by Catalan regional police forces Mossos d'Esquadra as they protest against far-right Vox party candidates in Barcelona during regional elections in Catalonia on February 14, 2021. Catalonia is voting in an election overshadowed by the pandemic which Madrid hopes will unseat the region's ruling separatists more than three years after a failed bid to break away from Spain. (Photo by Lluis Gene/AFP Photo/Profimedia)

Two orphaned wallaby joeys enjoy a play date to help them boost their social skills in Australia early July 2023. The rescued joeys are being hand-raised at Aussie Ark in News South Wales. (Photo by Aussie Ark/Cover Images)

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.