Twelve-year-old Kelia Gallina of French Polynesia after surfing in Heat 1 of the Elimination Round at the Lexus Tahiti Pro on August 8, 2025 at Teahupoo, Tahiti, French Polynesia.(Photo by Brent Bielmann/World Surf League via Getty Images)

Moana Mason, 8, participates in the People's Summit event on Guajara Bay during the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Wednesday, November 12, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (Photo by Joshua A. Bickel/AP Photo)

Youths play football in a flooded field following rain in Jantho, Aceh province on November 24, 2025. (Photo by Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP Photo)

A dog and its owner perform a routine in the main arena on Day three of Crufts at the Birmingham NEC Arena on March 10, 2012 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

A Dandy Dinnmont Terrier is displayed at the World Dog Show in Rho, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, June 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

A man carrying butchered dogs drives past a pet dog at a dog meat market in Yulin, Guangxi Autonomous Region, June 21, 2015. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

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.