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.

Members of the Royal Navy respond to a simulated fire in a Vanguard-class submarine control room training facility at Clyde naval base in Faslane, Scotland on January 21, 2016. (Photo by Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

A woman walks past graffiti in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. Graffiti artists have been trying to re-engage disillusioned youth in a debate about the country's latest wave of political turmoil. (Photo by Hassan Ammar/AP Photo)

People dance Tuesday, April 28, 2015, in Baltimore. Maryland's governor vowed there would be no repeat of the looting, arson and vandalism that erupted Monday in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods. (Photo by Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

In this photo posted on Twitter, Sunday, May 3, 2015, and provided by NASA, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti sips espresso from a cup designed for use in zero-gravity, on the International Space Station. Cristoforetti, the first Italian woman in space, fired up the first espresso machine in space, which uses small capsules, or pods, of espresso coffee. (Photo by AP Photo/NASA)

A visitor looks at pictures of French photographer Jacques-Henri Lartigue (1894-1986), on July 1, 2013 during the 44thd annual Rencontres d'Arles photography festival in Arles, southern France. The event runs until September 22. (Photo by Boris Horvat/AFP Photo)

The Dinagyang is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City, Philippines held on the fourth Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog In Cebu and the Ati-Atihan in Aklan. It is held both to honor the Santo Niño and to celebrate the arrival on Panay of Malay settlers and the subsequent selling of the island to them by the Atis. wiki

“The ONE Campaign is a international, nonpartisan, non-profit organization which aims to increase government funding for and effectiveness of international aid programs. ONE was originally founded by a coalition of 11 non-profit humanitarian and advocacy organizations — including DATA, World Vision, Oxfam America, and Bread for the World — with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2007, ONE announced that it would be merging with DATA. Currently, ONE is campaigning for resources to help developing countries adapt to climate change. During the 2008 U.S. presidential election the organization launched a campaign, called ONE Vote '08, which was co-chaired by former U.S. Senate majority leaders Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Bill Frist (R-TN). The campaign is named after the U2 song “One” which was a top ten hit single on the critically acclaimed 1991 Achtung Baby album”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and now philanthropist, poses with One.org charity volunteers at Pariser Platz square during a brief stop at Brandenburg Gate on April 6, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. Gates is in Berlin to meet with German government officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel and Development Minister Dirk Niebel, to discuss aid for developing countries and promote his One.org charity initiative, which is part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)