A man prays to mourn victims of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami in front of a ship brought ashore by the disaster in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. (Photo by Kyodo via Reuters)

A diver wearing a Santa Claus costume swims with fishes in a large tank during an underwater performance for the upcoming Christmas celebration at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan on December 1, 2022. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Dancers wearing new bikinis perform in front of passers-by and a line of photographers during a promotional flash mob event on a square outside Shinjuku station in Tokyo on July 18, 2016. The event was organized by the Japan Swimsuit Association to promote new swimwear. (Photo by Toru Yamanaka/AFP Photo)

A “caixer” (horse rider) rears up on his horse surrounded by a cheering crowd during the traditional “Jaleo” at the Sant Antoni Festival in Es Castell, Balearic Islands, Spain on July 27, 2019. (Photo by Matthias Oesterle/Zuma Press/Picturedesk.com)

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.

The moon shines through trees at a United Nations displacement camp at dusk on March 14, 2011 in Ras Jdir, Tunisia. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Doris Dean of Chicago, Ill., sits with her gun shortly after she won a 50 meter, 40-shot event for women with a perfect 400 score at the National Rifle Association (NRA) matches at Camp Perry, near Toledo, Ohio, September 7, 1941. (Photo by AP Photo/DW)

A Selkirk Rex cat is one of more than 400 breeds of cats being presented at the World Cat Federation two-day show in Dortmund, Germany, on April 21, 2013. (Photo by Frank Augstein/Associated Press)