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.

Unwanted phones recreated as interactive birds, part of “Escape III” by Anthony Goh and Neil Mendoza seen on display at the Barbican's Digital Revolution exhibition on July 2, 2014 in London, England. The exhibition brings together artists, designers, film makers, musicians and architects who push the boundaries of creativity that digitial technology can offer, and runs from July 3 until September 14, 2014. (Photo by Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images for Barbican Art Gallery)

Arctic treasure by Sergey Gorshkov (Russia). An arctic fox carries its egg trophy from a raid on a snow goose nest and heads for a suitable burial spot. Finalist 2017, Animal Portraits. (Photo by Sergey Gorshkov/2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

A competitor poses on the catwalk during the Miss Bumbum Brazil 2016 pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil on November 9, 2016. Fifteen candidates compete in the annual pageant to select Brazil's sexiest female rear end. (Photo by Miguel Schincariol/AFP Photo)

A demonstrator confronts riot police during a rally in defense of the nationalization of lithium reserves in the country, in Santiago, Chile on January 29, 2018. (Photo by Pablo Sanhueza/Reuters)

Migrants prepare their food outside shelters in a muddy field called the Grande-Synthe jungle, near Dunkirk, northern France, January 12, 2016. The Grande-Synthe jungle is a camp of tents and makeshift shelters where migrants and asylum seekers from Irak, Kurdistan and Syria gather. (Photo by Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

In this June 29, 2016 file photo, boats docked at Central Marine in Stuart, Fla., are surrounded by blue green algae. The 153-mile-long Indian River Lagoon has been plagued by harmful algae blooms. Water quality testing data analyzed by the AP showed the average phosphorous level – a byproduct of fertilizers and human waste that algae thrive on, rose nearly 75 percent between 2000 and 2016. (Photo by Greg Lovett/The Palm Beach Post via AP Photo)

On Keo Wa, 25, carries her 9-month-old baby while working at a banana plantation operated by a Chinese company in the province of Bokeo in Laos April 24, 2017. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)