Women's Freestyle 50kg wrestling gold medalist Sarah Hildebrandt of Team United States carries Men's Greco-Roman 77kg wrestling gold medalist Nao Kusaka of Team Japan on stage on day thirteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Champions Park on August 08, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

American rapper Doja Cat attends the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by John Angelillo/UPI/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

The Grevy’s Illusion by Yaron Schmid, USA: a Grevy’s zebra staring at the camera in Lewa, Kenya. Third place – wildlife. (Photo by Yaron Schmid/The Nature Conservancy Global Photo Contest 2019)

Guillaume Rolland of France stands on the line during the Highline Extreme event in Moleson, Switzerland September 25, 2015. European best slackliners will compete until Sunday on six different lines ranging from 45 metres (148 ft) to 495 metres (1,624 ft). The 495 metres (1,624 ft) line if completed, will be the world record. (Photo by Denis Balibouse/Reuters)

Caio Souza of Team Brazil competes on vault during Men's Qualification on day one of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on July 24, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Mike Blake/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.

“Zeybeks”. That's Dance, Sunward and Zeybeks. (Photo by Hasan Baglar/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)