Laborers work on scaffolding near a full-scale replica of the Sphinx at an unfinished movie and animation tourism theme park, in Chuzhou, Anhui province, March 27, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

A man walks beside a “Wrinkles Of The City” creation near the Berlin cathedral in Berlin April 19, 2013. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

Brittany Ching dressed as a character from the sci-film “Avatar” at the annual Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center on June 16, 2016. (Photo by AndyCross/The Denver Post)

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.

Actress Ruby Rose, left, recipient of the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, hands her jacket to presenter Taylor Swift during the 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday, April 2, 2016, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Photo)

American singer Jennifer Lynn Lopez, also known as J.Lo reacts after winning the MTV Generation Award at the MTV Movie & TV Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, U.S., June 5, 2022. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

UK Love Island star Tasha Ghouri stuns fans by posing braless in an open blazer jacket in the last decade of August 2022. (Photo by instagram)

Queen of drums, Viviane Araujo of Salgueiro performs during 2024 Carnival parades at Sapucai Sambodrome on February 11, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)