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.

Fighters Holly “The Lotus” Mei (L) and Teri “Feisty Fists” London train for the upcoming 'Lingerie Fighting Championships 22: Costume Brawl I' at DXG Self Defense on October 25, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is scheduled to feature eight bouts at 4 Bears Casino & Lodge on October 29, 2016 in New Town, North Dakota. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

A burning tank is in Daraa, on March 9, 2013. (Photo by Ali Abu-Salah/Reuters/Shaam News Network via The Atlantic)

A Thai visitor appears to be frightened by a life-size Velociraptor model also known as Raptor at the Dinosaur Planet theme park in Bangkok, Thailand, 25 March 2016. The 500 million baht (14 million US dollars or 12 million euro) theme park opening in the Thai capital aimed to attract more than 15,000 visitors a day featuring a chance to experience more than 200 dinosaurs from various species that are brought back to life. (Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/EPA)

Female members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) honour guard stand behind a string to ensure that they are in a straight line before a welcoming ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, June 25, 2016. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

NASA's DHC-3 Otter plane flies in Operation IceBridge-Alaska surveys of mountain glaciers in Alaska in this image released on September 18, 2014. Over the past few decades, average global temperatures have been on the rise, and this warming is happening two to three times faster in the Arctic. (Photo by Chris Larsen/Reuters/NASA/University of Alaska-Fairbanks)

A man photographs Anila Quayyum Agha's “Intersections” art work on the first day of ArtPrize at the Grand Rapids Art Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Wednesday, September 24, 2014. (Photo by Emily Rose Bennett/AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press)

Cattle keepers from the Dinka tribe perform a traditional dance after a prayer session for peace and good health along the route to Rajaf Payam outside the capital Juba October 18, 2014. (Photo by Jok Solomon/Reuters)