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 woman jumps over a puddle as she crosses a street after a torrential downpour in the South Beach part of Miami, July 18, 2014. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

The original costumes for Star Wars character Darth Vader stand on display at “Star Wars: The Exhibition” at County hall on May 04, 2007 in London, England. (Photo by MJ Kim/Getty Images)

Russian servicemen drive a partially covered T-14 Armata tank along a street before a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia, April 29, 2015. Russia will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two on May 9. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters)

People are reflected on a soap bubble lying on a road during the evening in New Delhi, India, June 23, 2015. (Photo by Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters)

Manu Brabo was born in Spain in 1981. After studying Photography in The School of Arts and Crafts in Oviedo, he moved to Madrid where he started Journalism in Carlos III University while he was working as a photographer for several humble newspapers and agencies. In 2011, Manu was held captive and then released by by Libyan forces. Brabo, along with fellow AP photographers were awarded the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. Here: a Syrian man cries while holding the body of his son, killed by the Syrian Army, near Dar El Shifa hospital in Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, October 3, 2012. (Photo by Manu Brabo/AP Photo)

Farmer Zhang Xianping rides his pig "Big Precious" during an interview with the media, in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, China, November 2, 2015. Zhang, a pig breeder, instead of killing it, decided to keep the two-year-old "Big Precious" as pet when its weight reached 600 kg, according to local media. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

A zoo employee carries three-month-old female giant panda cub, born to mother Liang Liang and father Xing Xing, on display to the public for the first time at the national zoo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 17, 2015. (Photo by Olivia Harris/Reuters)