Pietro Sighel of Italy crashes during his heat of the men's 1,000-meter during the short track speedskating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Saturday, February 5, 2022, in Beijing. (Photo by David J. Phillip/AP Photo)

A police officer tries to prevent an anti-government protester from pulling the hair of a woman who is part of group that appeared to show their support for the government during a march of healthcare workers critical of the government, in La Paz, Bolivia, on July 21, 2022. (Photo by Juan Karita/AP Photo)

Iyo Sky in action against Liv Morgan during Saturday Night Main Event at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on December 14, 2024 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by WWE/Getty Images)

A woman eats an ice cream as people sunbathe on the beach in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, January 26, 2024. Spain's weather agency says recent abnormally high temperatures for this time of year are set to continue in many parts of Spain on Friday and over the weekend, with an almost summer-like feeling in many coastal areas as people take to the beaches to sunbathe and some to have a winter swim. (Photo by Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo)

“Say cheese”. Cheetahs jumped on the vehicle of tourists in Masai Mara national park, Kenya. (Photo and caption by Yanai Bonneh/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

ATTENTION! All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture.

A painter was drawing a lion head body painting on a model during the auto show on March 15, 2015. The local 2015 auto show was held in Xuchang Stadium in Xuchang, Henan Province, China. The exhibitors tried a variety of ways for promotion and attracting people's attention. Some exhibitors were giving gifts to the people scanning their QR codes and add them onto friends list. An auto company has invited young s*x underwear models and drew body paintings on the girls. (Photo by Xu Zhongxin/Sipa Asia)

An Israeli police officer holds his weapon as he stands in front of an injured Israeli driver moments after witnesses said his car crashed into a Palestinian on a pavement during stone-throwing clashes near Lion's Gate just outside Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. (Photo by Ilan Rosenberg/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.