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.

U.S. Marines kick in a door while securing a building next to the main hospital in central Baghdad April 15, 2003, which will be used as a temporary Iraqi police headquarters. (Photo by Jerry Lampen/Reuters)

“On the Li River near Xingping in China, Cormorant fishermen work the waterways before dawn amidst the spectacular limestone towers of the Karst landscape. The birds are trained to fetch fish from the inky depths but not swallow them. The fisherman accepts the fish from the birds who dive back for more. Here, still before dawn, the fisherman and his birds head for home”. (Photo and caption by Neville Jones/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

American rapper Saweetie and Quavo seen leaving Boa Steakhouse in West Hollywood, CA. on July 19, 2020. The couple appeared to enjoy dinner and posted a pda filled Instagram story at the restaurant. Saweetie and Quavo looked stylish as they made their way to their car. (Photo by Backgrid USA)

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, illuminate the sky over Flakstad beach on Lofoten Islands in the Arctic Circle on September 5, 2017. (Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP Photo)

This year’s World Nomad Games, a celebration of nomadic heritage, took place in the Issyk-Kul province of Kyrgyzstan. Eleanor Moseman photographed female competitors who had travelled from all over central Asia and eastern Europe, and explored the difficulties and challenges they face as competitors. (Photo by Eleanor Moseman/The Guardian)

In this August 24, 2019 photo, a tractor pulls a trailer that was converted into a swimming pool as it drives along the roads of El Infernal neighborhood in San Andres in the province of Pinar del Río, Cuba. The idea for the mobile tractor-pool was hatched by local parents, to make their kids happy and fight the harsh Caribbean heat. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)

A camel performs during a “dance competition” held during the Pushkar Camel Fair in Pushkar, in the western state of Rajasthan, on November 5, 2019. Thousands of livestock traders from the region come to the traditional camel fair where livestock, mainly camels, are traded. The annual camel and livestock fair is one of the world's largest camel fairs. (Photo by Himanshu Sharma/AFP Photo)