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.

Sculpture by Danger Dave titled “Damien Hirst Looking for Sharks” is seen on September 13, 2021 in Currumbin, Australia. SWELL Sculpture Festival is an annual exhibition that features 65 large-scale sculptures installed along Currumbin Beach on the Gold Coast in Queensland. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

This photo provided by Steamboat Ski Resort shows hot air balloons that visitors can tour in above the town and mountains in Steamboat Springs, Colo. Wild West Adventures offer continental breakfast, champagne ceremony with flight certificates and courtesy pick-up are included. (Photo by Larry Pierce/AP Photo/Steamboat Ski Resort)

These picture capture the hilarious moment a cheeky little bee decides to pick on a grumpy bear. A massive Kodiak bear is finding this pesky bee a pain in the bear-hind as it buzzes around his head just out of reach. This incredible comedic moment was captured in the bear den at Buffalo Zoo. Terry Cervi from Buffalo, New York, U.S.A. saw this incredible sight on one of her regular visits to her local zoo. (Photo by Terry Cervi/Caters News)

At the end of a six-year relationship, photographer Laura Stevens needed to find a creative, external outlet for all the complicated feelings she was processing internally. “Another November” is the end product, a photo series that aims to mirror those agonizing emotions that Stevens felt at the time of the breakup – and the subsequent healing process. Here: “Jessica” is photographed at her Paris home in this scene staged by photographer Laura Stevens. (Photo by Laura Stevens)

A gallery assistant poses with the 1972 work “Secretary” at a press viewing of the artist's exhibition “Allen Jones RA” at the Royal Academy of Arts in London November 11, 2014. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)

Kim Kardashian arrives for the Thierry Mugler exhibition opening at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, Chittenango, United States of America on February 26, 2019. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

U.S. Air Force Major Paul “Loco” Lopez performs in an F-22 Raptor during the AirPower Over Hampton Roads JBLE Air and Space Expo at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, U.S. May 18, 2018. (Photo by U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Areca T. Bell/Handout via Reuters)