An art installation called “Double Ducks” by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman is seen at Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, Friday, June 9, 2023. Two giant inflatable ducks made a splash in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor on Friday, marking the return of a pop-art project that sparked a frenzy in the city a decade ago. (Photo by Louise Delmotte/AP Photo)

A dachshund dressed as a leo walks a podium during a dachshund parade festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)

A health worker wearing a protective suit is disinfected inside a portable tent outisee the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center during an enhanced community quarantine to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in Manila, Philippines, Monday April 27, 2020. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)

Tengger tribe people make their way to the summit of Mount Bromo volcano to make offerings in Probolinggo, East Java province on July 7, 2020, as part of the Yadnya Kasada Festival. During the annual Yadnya Kasada festival, the Tenggerese climb Mount Bromo, an active volcano, and seek the blessing from the main deity by presenting offerings of rice, fruit, livestock and other items. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto/AFP Photo)

Women members of the national police take part in a parade during a graduation ceremony in Bogota, Colombia on November 7, 2019. (Photo by Juan Barreto/AFP Photo)

Daniel Sheridan, a council worker from Poole, Dorset, runs a side hustle snapping dogs living their best lives in the second decade of December 2024. (Photo by Daniel Sheridan/South West News Service)

A German fan cheers prior to the Group A match between Germany and Scotland at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Munich, Germany, Friday, June 14, 2024. (Photo by Antonio Calanni/AP Photo)

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.