Revellers take part during the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 9, 2023. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

With Haystack Rock in the background, Julie Amschler, of Springfield, Mo., walks along the beach on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Cannon Beach, Ore. (Photo by Jenny Kane/AP Photo)

Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards of English girl group Little Mix celebrate getting number 1 UK single backstage at Echo Arena on July 18, 2015 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Ollie Millington/Redferns)

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.

Baby giraffe of Niger (Giraffa Camelopardalis) “Kenai” (R), born on August 25, 2016, kisses his mother “Dioni” on August 31, 2016 at the zoo of La Fleche, northwestern France. (Photo by Jean-Francois Monier/AFP Photo)

An elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume gives out gifts to students to mark the Christmas season at a school in Ayutthaya province on December 24, 2010. The event was held as part of a campaign to promote Christmas in Thailand. (Photo by Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP Photo)

Jesse Tyler Ferguson photobombs Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom at the 2013 Vanity Fair Oscar party. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

This artist's rendering illustrates the evaporation of HD 189733b's atmosphere in response to a powerful eruption from its host star. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope detected the escaping gases and NASA's Swift satellite caught the stellar flare. (Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)