A view of fluffy toy bears displayed for attraction outside the windows of a hotel in Yantai in Shandong province Thursday, January 6, 2022. (Photo by Tang Ke/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

A man bathes at a roadside in a market area after authorities in the capital ordered a weekend curfew, following the rise in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, in the old quarters of Delhi, India, January 8, 2022. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/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 member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) pose for a picture at a camp in the Colombian mountains on February 2005. (Photo by Frank Piasecki Poulsen)

A model presents a creation from the Tom Ford Spring/Summer 2023 collection during New York Fashion Week in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 14, 2022. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Peter Carberry riding Gabbys Cross falls off during the Randox Grand National Chase during day three of the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse on April 15, 2023 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Canada's Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps perform in the gala exhibition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing on December 10, 2023. (Photo by Wang Zhao/AFP Photo)

A spectator takes a selfie during the 2024 World Rally Car championship in Concepción, Chile on September 28, 2024. (Photo by Nikos Katikis/DPPI/Rex Features/Shutterstock)