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.

Monks take a tiger out of its cage for an afternoon walk June 5, 2001 at the Wat Pa Luangta Bua monastery in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

A firefighter uses a saw to open a metal gate while fighting a fire in a convenience store and residence during clashes after the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland in the early morning hours of April 28, 2015. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Reuters)

A miniature model of Chichen Itza in Mexico, part of Gulliver's Gate, a miniature world being recreated in a 49,000-square-foot exhibit space in Times Square, is seen during a preview April 10, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP Photo)

Cuban soldiers receive combat training at the Cadets School “Antonio Maceo” November 28, 2001, 30 kilometers East of Havana. (Photo by Jorge Rey/Getty Images)

Dancers of the Friedrichstadt-Palast from the show “THE WYLD” pose during a promotional photocall in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, June 25, 2015. The 10.6 million euro ($13.5 million) show is the largest production budget in the 95-year history of Friedrichstadt-Palast. (Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

A girl peeps at a gate as primary school students enter to attend an open air class near their school building as part of an initiative from the government following restrictions imposed to control the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, in Kolkata on February 7, 2022. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP Photo)

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad watches as Pope John Paul II boards his plane at Damascus airport May 8, 2001 at the end of the Pontiff's four-day visit to Syria.