A person reacts during an anti-war protest, after Russia launched a massive military operation against Ukraine, in Moscow, Russia on February 24, 2022. (Photo by Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)

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.

Myanmar's military parade to mark the 72nd Armed Forces Day in the capital Naypyitaw, Myanmar March 27, 2017. (Photo by Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)

Teachers and students of dance schools dance maintaining social distance in Barcelona, Spain on November 9, 2020 during a protest against harsher anti-covid19 measures as closures in the hospitality and culture sector and limitations of social contacts by the Catalan government due to the accelerated spread of the coronavirus. (Photo by Matthias Oesterle/ZUMA Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Revellers take part in the Els Enfarinats festival, in the town of Ibi near Alicante, Spain, Saturday December 28, 2019. For about 200-years the inhabitants of Ibi annually celebrate with a battle using flour, eggs and firecrackers, outside the city town hall. (Photo by Alberto Saiz/AP Photo)

American Song Contest winner, American singer, dancer and actress based in South Korea AleXa arrives to the 2022 Billboard Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 15, 2022. (Photo by Christopher Polk/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Actress Jennifer Aniston is seen filming on location for “The Morning Show” in the Flatiron District on July 28, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)

A boy looks back while he and another boy play on a Syrian military tank, destroyed during fighting with the Rebels, in the Syrian town of Azaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Sunday, September 2, 2012. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)