Aerial view of tourists in life vests and rubber rafts in the Grand Canyon of western Henan, Sanmenxia, China on August 5, 2017. (Photo by Imaginechina/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A statue of former U.S. President Donald Trump is pictured at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S. February 26, 2021. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Reuters)

Two Afghan children stand amid piles of garbage next to their home, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, April 18, 2022. (Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)

New electric cars for sale are seen parked at a distribution center of the Changan automobile company in southwestern China's Chongqing municipality on March 24, 2024. (Photo by AFP Photo/China Stringer Network)

Elephant fights off hyenas to save baby. “This is the incredible moment an elephant came to the rescue of one of its babies being attacked by a pack of hyenas. The elephant is seen charging at the hyenas to ward them off its offspring. The photos were captured by American photographer Jayesh Mehta, 47, in the Savuti region of the Chobe National Park in Botswana”. Photo: The elephant is seen charging at the hyenas to ward them off its offspring. (Photo by Jayesh Mehta/Caters News)

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.