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.

Dancers dressed as futuristic characters perform during a show at The Robot Restaurant on June 29, 2014 in Tokyo, Japan. The now famous Robot Restaurant opened two years ago in Kabukicho area of Shinjuku at an estimated cost of 10 million U.S. dollars. Performances are held three times a day and cater mostly to foreign tourists. The cabaret style shows include bikini clad futuristic dancers, performers dressed as robots and a host of large scale robots and vehicles controlled with remotes by stage hands dressed as Ninjas. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The moon is seen in its waxing gibbous stage as it rises behind the helicopter from the original Batman television show, which people can ride at the New Jersey State Fair, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in East Rutherford, N.J. The moon, which will reach its full stage on Sunday, is expected to be 13.5 percent closer to earth during a phenomenon known as supermoon. (Photo by Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

American model Hailey Bieber attends the Saint Laurent Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on September 27, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Wind gusts, blowing down King Street, twist umbrellas during Hurricane Ian in Charleston, S.C., on Friday, September 30, 2022. (Photo by Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier via AP Photo)

American singer Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe, known mononymously as Tinashe forgot some of her outfit for GQ's Men of the Year party in West Hollywood, California on November 17, 2022. (Photo by Sweet T./Instagram)

Liusba Grajales, left, puts makeup on her daughter Ainhoa as her partner Lisset Diaz Vallejo gets ready as they prepare to get married in Santa Clara, Cuba, Friday, October 21, 2022. The couple, which has been together for seven years, is one of the first to make the decision to get legally married in Cuba following the new Family Code, which opened up everything from equal marriage to surrogate mothers. (Photo by Ismael Francisco/AP Photo)

English-Albanian singer and songwriter Dua Lipa on December 31, 2022. The “One Kiss” singer went full Y2K to usher in 2023, wearing a crystal mesh Ludovic de Saint Sernin dress with a back so low, Lipa’s white thong played peekaboo. (Photo by dualipa/Instagram)