Russian soldiers write home while serving on the Eastern Front during World War I, circa 1915. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Star Wars collector James Burns, 44, poses for a photograph with some of his collection in London December 2, 2015. He said “I've met so many wonderful people, all over the world. It's a wonderful community of likeminded people with an interest in Star Wars. There's nothing else like it”. (Photo by Paul Hackett/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.

In this photo provided by Greenpeace, clothes are left to dry on a typhoon damaged tree in Surigao City, southern Philippines on Monday December 20, 2021. The governor of a central Philippine province devastated by Typhoon Rai last week pleaded on radio Tuesday for the government to quickly send food and other aid, warning that without outside help, army troops and police forces would have to be deployed to prevent looting amid growing hunger. (Photo by Jilson Tiu/Greenpeace via AP Photo)

A-Jhay Celis, 35, wades through flood water with his dog Domeng, following heavy rains brought by tropical storm Nalgae, in Imus, Cavite province, Philippines on October 30, 2022. (Photo by Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)

A villager stretches as the Mayon volcano spews ashes and lava in Legaspi city, Albay province, Philippines, 12 June 2023. The restive Mayon volcano has begun spewing lava and small eruptions, putting the lives of thousands of people at risk from possible violent explosion. (Photo by Francis R. Malasig/EPA/EFE)

A worker paints the face of a realistic pet plushie, at the Pampanga Teddy Bear Factory, in Angeles City, Pampanga province, Philippines on March 10, 2023. (Photo by Lisa Marie David/Reuters)

A U.S. Marine kneels beside a Multi-Utility Tactical Transport ( MUTT) during a patrol as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016 an exercise held at Camp Pendleton, California United States, July 13, 2016. (Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters)