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.

Only the most intrepid urban explorers cross the tattered ruins of the old Iron Curtain to endure the excessive bureaucracy, military paranoia and freezing winds of the East to hunt for the ghosts of an empire. Rebecca Litchfield is one who couldn’t resist the haunting allure of the ruins of the Soviet Union.

Journalists watch the take off of a German Eurofighter jet at the airbase in Noervenich, Germany, Thursday, August 20, 2020. Pilots from Israel and Germany will fly together the next two weeks during the first joint military Air Force exercises between the two nations in Germany. (Photo by Martin Meissner/AP Photo)

Women kiss each other as people celebrate outside the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York June 26, 2015. The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the U.S. Constitution provides same-s*x couples the right to marry, handing a historic triumph to the American gay rights movement. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

A Japan soccer fan reacts as she watches Japan's FIFA Women's World Cup final match against the U.S. in Vancouver, at a public viewing event in Tokyo, Japan, July 6, 2015. Japan lost the match 5-2 to the U.S. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

Tiffany Porter of Britain falls after competing in the women's 100 metres hurdles final during the 15th IAAF World Championships at the National Stadium in Beijing, China August 28, 2015. (Photo by David Gray/Reuters)

2016 Rio Olympics, Handball, Preliminary, Women's Preliminary Group B Netherlands vs France, Future Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 6, 2016. Lois Abbingh (NED) of Netherlands celebrates a goal. (Photo by Marko Djurica/Reuters)

2016 Rio Olympics, Beach Volleyball, Women's Preliminary, Beach Volleyball Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 6, 2016. Liliana Fernandez Steiner (ESP) of Spain prepares to serve. (Photo by Ruben Sprich/Reuters)