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.

Robert Lewandowski of Poland in action against Cristian Romero (R) of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Poland and Argentina at Stadium 974 on November 30, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)

Models present creations for fashion house Dolce & Gabbana during the Women' s Spring/ Summer 2018 fashion shows in Milan, on September 24, 2017. (Photo by Andreas Solaro/AFP Photo)

Katy Perry poses backstage during rehearsals for the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 25, 2017 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for MTV)

An Indian villager tries to tame a bull during a traditional bull-taming festival called “Jallikattu”, in the village of Palamedu, near Madurai, Tamil Nadu state, India, Monday, January 15, 2018. Jallikattu involves releasing a bull into a crowd of people who attempt to grab it and ride it. (Photo by R. Parthibhan/AP Photo)

Women dancing at the disco club Xenon in New York City, USA in 1978. Xenon was a popular disco in Manhattan in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was the only nightclub popular enough to compete with Studio 54. (Photo by Waring Abbott/Getty Images)

German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945) enjoys a quiet picnic between meetings, circa 1933. Picture 196 of a series of collectable images published in Germany during the Nazi period, entitled “Deutschland Erwacht” (Germany Awakes). (Photo by Heinrich Hoffmann/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

An air raid drill at Seattle College caught students William Bates, left, and Edna Mae Farrell, right, while they were eating their lunch in the school café, but they simply took shelter under the table and continued eating in Seattle, Washington, March 17, 1942. Air raid wardens said 350 students left their classrooms and assembled in shelters within one minute in first at the college. (Photo by AP Photo)