14th Place. Leaf roller weevil (Byctiscus betulae) lateral view. Image Stacking, Reflected Light 3.7X (objective lens magnification). (Photo by Özgür Kerem Bulur/Nikon Small World Photomicrography 2020)

Women activists wearing veils gather at during a rally organised by the collective #NousToutes against feminicides at Place du Pantheon in Paris on October 9, 2022. (Photo by Julien de Rosa/AFP Photo)

American models, media personalitys and socialite Hailey Bieber (R) and Kendall Jenner on Set of What's in My Kitchen? in the second decade of April 2023. (Photo byTori Time/OBB Media)

Team Japan competes during the team free preliminaries of artistic swimming at the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. (Photo by Anna Szilagyi/AP Photo)

The exhibition “All the colors of Warhol” on July 8, 2024 was opened in the SALON Gallery, the Museum of the City of Belgrade, organized by the Museum of the City of Belgrade and the Belgrade Festival Center of CEBEF, and will last until the end of the month. (Photo by L.L./ATAImages)

A C-17 Globemaster III crew prepares an air refueling mission September 27, 2012, at Joint Base Charleston, S.C. (Photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew J. Bruch/U.S. Air Force photo)

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.