7th August 1941: A Soviet sniper targets the enemy with the telescopic sight on his rifle.

British troops covered in flames from a petrol bomb thrown during a violent protest by job seekers, who say they were promised employment in the security services, in the southern Iraq city of Basra, March 22, 2004. (Photo by Atef Hassan/Reuters)

Elena Reid of USA looks on with bloody face due to a cut during the Women's WIBF Flyweight Championship fight between Regina Halmich and Elena Reid at the Boerderlandhalle on December 3, 2005 in Magdeburg, Germany. (Photo by Christian Fischer/Getty Images)

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.

U.S Army combat camera photographer Spc. Hilda Clayton took this photo July 2, 2013 that was released by the U.S. Army, that shows an Afghan soldier engulfed in flame as a mortar tube explodes during an Afghan National Army live-fire training exercise in Laghman Province, Afghanistan. The accident killed Clayton and four Afghan National Army soldiers. (Photo by Spc. Hilda Clayton/U.S. Army via AP Photo)

France's Typhaine Solde competes in the women's long jump - T64 finals of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 28, 2021. (Photo by Kim Price/CSM/Rex Features/Shutterstock)