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.

Afghan air force 2nd Lt. Niloofar Rhmani walks the flight line at Shindand Air Base, Afghanistan, prior to her graduation from undergraduate pilot training, on May 13, 2013. Rhmani made history on May 14, when she became the first female to successfully complete undergraduate pilot training and earn the status of pilot in more than 30 years. She will continue her service as she joins the Kabul Air Wing as a Cessna 208 pilot. (Photo by Senior Airman Scott Saldukas/USAF)

Revellers ride during the 54th annual brass band festival in the Serbian village of Guca August 7, 2014. Every year Guca is swamped by thousands of people taking part in the celebration of brass band music. (Photo by Marko Djurica/Reuters)

Passengers brave the strong winds as they wait for a bus, in Hong Kong, Monday, September 15, 2014. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the number 8 southeast storm signal, as Typhoon Kalmaegi edges closer to Hong Kong. (Photo by Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

A hot air balloon floats over farm fields south of Washington, Ill., as the sun slips behind clouds on the autumn afternoon of Wednesday, September 24, 2014. (Photo by Ron Johnson/AP Photo/Peoria Journal Star)

Naked footballers participate in a Germany v Netherlands soccer match in protest against what they say is increasing commercialization of professional football, in Wuppertal, Germany on September 6, 2020. (Photo by Leon Kuegeler/Reuters)

This photograph, taken on September 28, 2019, shows an Erythrina Abyssinica planted in a pasture on Ferme Espoir, owned by former President Joseph Kabila, in Masisi territory, northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Photo by Alexis Huguet/AFP Photo)

A young man wears a mask on the right side of his head as he stands on a bridge with the European Central Bank at left in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, October 29, 2020. (Photo by Michael Probst/AP Photo)