This photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on June 7, 2012 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) surrounded by members of the Korean Children's Union (KCU) organizations during a joint national meeting to celebrate the 66th anniversary of the KCU organizations at Kim Il-Sung Stadium in Pyongyang on June 6, 2012. (Photo by AFP Photo/KCNA via KNS)

A boy runs next to a portrait of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, placed in celebration of the King's 88th birthday, in Bangkok, Thailand, December 5, 2015. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

Fireworks explode above St. Basil's cathedral during a rehearsal for the “Spasskaya Tower” international military music festival at Moscow's Red Square, September 4, 2015. Military bands from different countries will participate in the annual tattoo starting on Sunday. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters)

Ukrainian platoon commander Mariia talks on the phone in a position in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Saturday, July 2, 2022. Ukrainian soldiers returning from the frontlines in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region describe life during what has turned into a grueling war of attrition as apocalyptic. Mariia, 41, said that front-line conditions may vary depending on where a unit is positioned and how well supplied they are. (Photo by Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)

WrestlerTeddy Sheedi (L) fights his opponent during the traditional Sindhi Malakhra wrestling in Karachi, Pakistan, 13 December 2020. A Malakhra match begins with both wrestlers tying a twisted cloth around the opponent's waist. Each one then holds onto the opponent's waistcloth and tries to throw him to the ground. (Photo by Shahzaib Akber/EPA/EFE)

Children guarded by Hungarian police play on the ground after being detained along with other migrants who illegally crossed from Serbia to Hungary near the village of Asotthalom, Hungary, September 16, 2015. (Photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Kazakh troops march during a parade of the armed forces to mark the Defender of the Fatherland Day in Astana, May 7, 2014. (Photo by Mukhtar Kholdorbekov/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.