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 works of Hu Shaoming immediately catch the eye of the onlookers with their level on intricacy and uniqueness. To provide a glimpse into the intricate workings of vintage cameras he uses a very unique method. He made it seem as if the fine leather covering of the camera was opened by zipper, showing its innards. A similar technique was used on an ancient telephone, though there it looks more like an embellishment. The idea was so marvelously put into life that it seems as if those items can actually be zipped up, though of course that is not possible.

A man holds on a rope as he tries to board a truck while crossing floodwaters brought by typhoon Koppu that battered Candaba town, Pampanga province, north of Manila October 20, 2015. Typhoon Koppu swept across the northern Philippines killing at least nine people as trees, power lines and walls were toppled and flood waters spread far from riverbeds, but tens of thousands of people were evacuated in time. (Photo by Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)

Heidi Klum attends the Heidi Klum's 16th Annual Halloween Party sponsored by GSN's Hellevator And SVEDKA Vodka At LAVO New York on October 31, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Heidi Klum)

Star Wars collector James Burns, 44, poses for a photograph with some of his collection in London December 2, 2015. He said “I've met so many wonderful people, all over the world. It's a wonderful community of likeminded people with an interest in Star Wars. There's nothing else like it”. (Photo by Paul Hackett/Reuters)

A jockey drives a buffalo in the annual water buffalo race, part of a week-long festival in homage to the animals and in celebration of the rice harvest in Chonburi, Thailand on April 1, 2016. (Photo by Vichaya Pop/Barcroft Media)

Photographers take photographs of the Large Air Tanker (LAT) C-130 Hercules, also known as “Thor”, as it drops a load of around 15,000 litres during a display by the Rural Fire Service ahead of the bushfire season at RAAF Base Richmond Sydney, Australia, September 1, 2017. (Photo by David Gray/Reuters)

Kendall Jenner (L) and Hailey Baldwin attend Harper's BAZAAR Celebration of “ICONS By Carine Roitfeld” at The Plaza Hotel presented by Infor, Laura Mercier, Stella Artois, FUJIFILM and SWAROVSKI on September 8, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Harper's BAZAAR)