Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus on Tuesday, September 9, 2014, in Cupertino, Calif. The iPhone 6 will have a screen measuring 4.7 inches, while the iPhone 6 Plus will be 5.5 inches. (Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

The shadow of a partial eclipse is cast on to the cheek of a student on the roof of the Jana Dlugosza Academy in Czestochowa, Poland March 20, 2015. (Photo by Grzegorz Skowronek/Reuters/Agencja Gazeta)

A combination photo shows Fata Kovacevic reacting near her flood-damaged house during floods May 20, 2014 (top) and the same place after floods October 8, 2014 in Topcic Polje. (Photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

This restroom on the rubbly flanks of Jonsknuten in Norway looks up at the peak of the 904m mountain. Yu have to leave the door open to enjoy the view but the chances of being disturbed are minimal. (Photo by Olaf Menz/Lonely Planet)

In this Sunday, September 18, 2016 photo, participants wait on stage ahead of Miss Trans Star International 2016 show celebrated in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo)

In this handout photo provided by the Helmholtz Center for Research on Infectious Diseases an EHEC bacteria is visible on May 30, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. German health authorities have attributed at least 14 deaths within the last two weeks to an outbreak of enterohemorrhagic E. coli, also known as the EHEC bacteria. (Photo Courtesay Manfred Rohde, Helmholtz-Zentrum fuer Infektionsforschung (HZI)/Getty Images)

Central Palo Seco power station of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) is seen behind a cemetery, in San Juan, Puerto Rico on January 22, 2018. (Photo by Alvin Baez/Reuters)

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.