A rainbow is seen near a cloud south of Corvallis, Ore., Monday, May 19, 2014. (Photo by Andy Cripe/AP Photo/The Corvallis Gazette-Times)

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.

A stunt rider jumps over spectators after the final stage of the annual ABSA Cape Epic mountain bike stage race, Cape Town, South Africa, 30 March 2014. The multi day stage race is know as the “Tour de France” of mountain biking and sees 1,200 riders riding 720km in seven days. The race includes the worlds leading professional racers along with amateur cyclists. (Photo by Kim Ludbrook/EPA)

Turkana tribesmen walk with guns to protect their cattle from rival tribes near Baragoy, Kenya August 4, 2017. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

In this January 3, 2018 photo several female Gelada baboons, also known as bleeding-heart baboons, cuddle with their youngs in order to keep warm at the Wilhelma zoo in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Gollnow/DPA via AP Photo)

A stray dog is pictured besides a graffiti made on a shutter of a closed shop at a market area during an ongoing state-wide weekend curfew imposed by the directive of the Delhi government to curb the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in New Delhi on January 9, 2022. (Photo by Sajjad Hussain/AFP Photo)

American media personality, socialite and model Kylie Kristen Jenner and American model Kendall Nicole Jenner are launching a new joint makeup line in the last decade of March 2022. (Photo by Kyliejenner/Instagram)

Brazilian singer Anitta performs on the Coachella stage during the 2022 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 22, 2022 in Indio, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Coachella)