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.

People carry bags containing their belongings past a burning residential block, caused by a recent shelling according to locals, on the outskirts of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine February 9, 2015. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

A section of multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 75 is shown in Detroit, Thursday, January 31, 2013. Snow squalls and slippery roads led to a series of accidents that left at least three people dead and 20 injured on a mile-long stretch of southbound I-75. More than two dozen vehicles, including tractor-trailers, were involved in the pileups. (Photo by Paul Sancya/AP Photo)

A girl walks past campaign posters for long-time President Yoweri Museveni, as well as for local members of Parliament, on a street in Kampala, Uganda Wednesday, February 17, 2016. On the eve of presidential elections, a heavy police and military presence could be seen in the capital Kampala. (Photo by Ben Curtis/AP Photo)

March 28, 1967. Egg Roll; A large bunny attracted the attention of children and their parents during the annual Easter egg roll Monday on the south lawn of the White House. The bunny was made by Fred Johansen, Silver Spring, Md. Nearly 17,000 youngsters and adults took part in the egg rolling. The President and Mrs. John-son were not at the festivities because they were in Camp David, Md. The tradition of egg rolling was begun in 1878 during the administration of Rutherford B. Hayes. (Photo by Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Then U.S. Army First Lieutenant Kirsten Griest (C) and fellow soldiers participate in combatives training during the Ranger Course on Fort Benning, Georgia, in this handout photograph taken on April 20, 2015 and obtained on August 20, 2015. When Griest and another woman completed the daunting U.S. Army Ranger school this week they helped end questions about whether women can serve as combat leaders, as the Pentagon is poised to open new roles, including elite Navy SEALs, to women in coming months. The feat by Griest and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver followed a re-evaluation of the role of women after their frontline involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan and the end of a rule barring them from combat roles in 2013. (Photo by Spc. Nikayla Shodeen/Reuters/U.S. Army)

A monkey runs away with a piece of bread in it's mouth at a park in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, March 4, 2013. (Photo by Mark Baker/AP Photo)

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