An Amur tiger walks across a passageway after a news conference at the Philadelphia Zoo, Wednesday, May 7, 2014, in Philadelphia. The see-through mesh pathway called Big Cat Crossing is part of a national trend called animal rotation that zoos use to enrich the experience of both creatures and guests. (Photo by Matt Slocum/AP Photo)

Jaheel Hyde, of Jamaica, competes in a men's 400-meter hurdles heat at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, August 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (Photo by David J. Phillip/AP Photo)

A boy rides on a snow wagon towed by a robot dressed as a Teddy bear, which only moves forward by moving its legs, during the Ice and snow carnival at Taoranting park in Beijing February 9, 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.

A Bedouin rifleman hides behind his camel while he carefully takes aim in the Sahara desert. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images). Circa 1955

Syrian civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, rescue a boy from the rubble following a reported barrel bomb attack on the Bab al- Nairab neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on November 24, 2016. (Photo by Ameer Alhalbi/AFP Photo)

A Model styled by a participant waits to be judged by the jury during the contest “Day style” of the OMC Hairworld World Cup on May 4, 2014 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)

A thrill-seeking storm chaser captured the precise moment these giant lightning bolts lit up dark skies in a series of incredible storms. (Photo by Craig Eccles/Solent News & Photo Agency)