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.

His majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (L), 31, smiles at his bride during the purification marriage ceremony to Queen Jetsun Pema, 21, in the historical Punakha Dzong on October 13, 2011 in Punakha, Bhutan. The Dzong is the same venue that hosted the King's historic coronation ceremony in 2008. The Oxford-educated king is popular in the country and the ceremony will be followed by celebration in the capital and countryside. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Young monks laugh at their own photos taken by a German photojournalist in the main courtyard of the Dzong on October 13, 2011 in Punakha, Bhutan. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 31 and Queen of Bhutan Ashi Jetsun Pema Wangchuck, 21 wed in Bhutan's historic 17th century Punakha Dzong the same venue that hosted the King's historical coronation ceremony in 2008. (Photo by Triston Yeo/Getty Images)

A man wearing a face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus, walks past in front of an advertisement of an opera performance outside of a theater in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 3, 2021. (Photo by Lee Jin-man/AP Photo)

A man walks past the body of a man after he was shot in the head by unknown assailants during a protest in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, August 22, 2022. (Photo by Odelyn Joseph/AP Photo)

A 20-year-old Japanese macaque monkey named Monday scratches her eyes while suffering an allergy to pollen from the cedar tree at Awajishima Monkey Centre on March 17, 2013 in Sumoto, Japan. Many monkeys are suffering the effects of hay fever at this time of the year, with the typical symptoms being the same as with humans. According to Awajishima Monkey center this year hay fever is higher than last year, the pollen season is from February to April. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

A pro-democracy demonstrator fights with a Soviet soldier on top of a tank parked in front of the Russian Federation building on August 19, 1991, after a coup toppled Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. The same day, thousands in Moscow, Leningrad, and other cities answered Russian Republic President Boris Yeltsin's call to raise barricades against tanks and troops. (Dima Tanin/AFP/Getty Images)

Li Yuming, a local farmer who is interested in scientific invention, works on his unfinished miniature submarine “Xiaguang V” on the outskirts of Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province August 24, 2007. “Xiaguang V”, which is 3-metre long, 1.2-metre in height, has a maximum diving depth of 20 metres, and can hold two adults and one child at the same time. The submarine will be used for tour after safety test, local media said. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)