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.

A migrant holds a placard which reads “No Forced Deportations” as he rides his bicycle at the makeshift camp called “The New Jungle” in Calais, France, September 18, 2015. Around 3,500 migrants and refugees are camped in Calais, fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia and now living in the jungle. Most of them are hoping to make the crossing to England. (Photo by Regis Duvignau/Reuters)

A U.S. army soldier exercises in front of a M270A1 multiple launch rocket system as they prepare for a live-fire training exercise of the 6-37th Field Artillery Regiment at a training area near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Cheorwon, South Korea, March 9, 2016. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

A pilot looks up from a U.S. F-22 Raptor fighter as it prepares to refuel in mid-air with a KC-135 refuelling plane over European airspace during a flight to Britain from Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Romania April 25, 2016. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)

Member of Unifrance delegation Swiss actress Souheila Yacoub arrives for the screening of the film “Le Comte de Monte-Cristo” (The Count of Monte-Cristo) at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 22, 2024. (Photo by Loic Venance/AFP Photo)

Sweden's Sweden's Henrik von Eckermann, riding King Edward, during the Equestrian Team Jumping finals, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, August 2, 2024, in Versailles, France. (Photo by Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP Photo)

A Ukrainian man stands in protest in front of gunmen in unmarked uniforms as they stand guard in Balaklava, on the outskirts of Sevastopol, Ukraine, Saturday, March 1, 2014. (Photo by Andrew Lubimov/AP Photo)

In this January 6, 2017 photo, transgender inmates get a security check from female officers before entering their cell at Pattaya Remand Prison in Pattaya, Chonburi province, Thailand. The prison separates lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender prisoners from other inmates, a little-known policy despite being in place nationwide since 1993, according to the Department of Corrections. (Photo by Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo)