An urban fox walks alongside the Mall in central London, Britain, November 29, 2016. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)

People carry drinks at 80s Bar in Damascus, Syria, March 11, 2016. In Damascus's Old City, just a mile from the battered frontline between government and rebel-held territory, young Syrians smoke, drink beer or soft drinks, and talk about anything but the war. The revival of activity in this once-vibrant quarter is part of efforts to project an air of normality in the Syrian capital, even as the five-year-old war that has killed more than 250,000 people and created 5 million refugees continues to rage nearby. (Photo by Omar Sanadiki/Reuters)

People sit on the top of a truck heavily piled with corn-stalks plies as they head for Mogadishu from Afgooye on October 19, 2016. At least four police officers were killed on October 18 when a suicide bomb attacker rammed an explosives-packed car into a police station before fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group subsequently stormed the area killing at least 10 people, including soldiers and civilians. (Photo by Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP Photo)

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 picture shows the blood stained floor of a kindergarten following reported shelling in the rebel-held area of Harasta, on the northeastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, on November 6, 2016. At least four children were killed and 19 people injured in the government strike in Harasta, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP Photo)

An airplane is silhouetted at sunrise, seen from the suburb of Saint-Cloud, near Paris, France, 08 December 2016. Paris is undergoing a third day pollution spike, prompting the city to limit vehicle circulation. (Photo by Ian Langsdon/EPA)

TV and radio host Lizzie Cundy, 46, attends the World Premiere of “The Hatton Garden Job” at The Curzon Soho on April 11, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Fame Flynet)

A fan wipes her lip after she was hit on the mouth by a foul ball hit by Kansas City Royals' Brandon Moss during the third inning of the Royals' baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, September 22, 2017, in Chicago. (Photo by David Banks/AP Photo)