A Russian-made rifle, carried by this woman when she was captured in Nearby Brush, is slung around her neck by South Vietnamese soldiers before they began their interrogation of her as Viet Cong suspect near AP La Ghi in Vietnam, August 25, 1965. The girl behind the woman, also was captured in the brush. (Photo by AP Photo)

The rising sun illuminates the sky above the spires of a church in Vienna, Austria, November 17, 2015. (Photo by Heinz-Peter Bader/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.

An Iraqi soldier plays with an accordion found on the street while on patrol in the western neighborhood of Tamuz in Mosul on May 23, 2017, after the area was retaken during the ongoing offensive against Islamic State (IS) group fighters. (Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP Photo)

People take part in a traditional mid-summer solstice night celebration (Rasos Festival) at the Open-Air Museum of Lithuania in Rumsiskes, east of Kaunas, Lithuania, on late June 23, 2020. (Photo by Petras Malukas/AFP Photo)

Apollinariia Panfilova and Dmitry Rylov of Russia perform in the Pairs Short Program during day one of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Rostelecom Cup at Megasport Arena on November 20, 2020 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)

Racegoers in fashionable hats attend Ladies Day at Cheltenham Festival on March 15, 2017 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by David Davies/PA Wire)

Competitors climb in front of the Matterhorn mountain at the start of the 21st Glacier Patrol race in Stafel outside the ski resort of Zermatt, Switzerland, 18 April 2018. The Glacier Patrol (Patrouille des Glaciers in French), organized by the Swiss Army, takes place from April 17 to 21. Highly-experienced hiker-skiers trek for over 53km (3994m ascent and 4090m descent) along the Haute Route along the Swiss-Italian border from Zermatt to Verbier. (Photo by Valentin Flauraud/EPA/EFE)