A Sikh warrior, wearing a huge turban attends the annual fair of “Hola Mohalla” in Anandpur Sahib, in the northern Indian state of Punjab, Monday, March 17, 2014. Believers from various parts of northern India collect at the religious fair to celebrate the festival of Holi in a tradition set by the tenth Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh in the seventeenth century. Nihangs, or Sikh warriors, display their martial skills and attire during the fair, believed to be maintained in the exact tradition as set by the Guru. (Photo by Altaf Qadri/AP Photo)

A girl looks with comic disgust at a guy who falls asleep with a bottle of beer at a party; her friend laughs. (Photo by Edward Corbett/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Soldiers of the 70th division of the American 7th Army hold up a Nazi flag and a portrait of Adolf Hitler, taken during the World War II capture of Saarbrucken. (Photo by Horace Abrahams/Keystone/Getty Images). 22nd March 1945

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.

Indonesian activists covered with sludge from the mud volcano hold a protest during five year anniversary of the Sidoarjo mud eruption on May 29, 2011 in the subdistrict of Porong in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge plays a stroke of golf during a visit to meet young people supported by the Cheesy Waffles Project, a charity for children, young people and adults with additional needs across County Durham, at the Belmont Community Centre, in Durham, north east England on April 27, 2021. (Photo by Andy Commins/Pool via AFP Photo)

Models prepare backstage ahead of the “Romance Was Born” show during Afterpay Fashion Week Australia Resort 22 Collections at Carriageworks on May 31, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jessica Hromas/The Guardian)

A woman wears a flower crown during a Summer Solstice celebration on June 21, 2021 in Krakow, Poland. The summer solstice represents the longest day of the year, with the most hours of sunlight, and is celebrated by various cultures worldwide. (Photo by Omar Marques/Getty Images)