Fireworks explode over the Quadriga statue atop the Brandenburg Gate on New Year's Eve on January 1, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. According to the media, up to one million people celebrate the country's biggest New Year's Eve Party. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

A sacrificial goat peeks through the entrance gate of a house, ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Peshawar, Pakistan on June 28, 2023. (Photo by Fayaz Aziz/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.

Labrador puppies “Hoey” (L) and “Hatton”, named in honor of September 11, 2001 attack victims Patrick Hoey and Lenny Hatton who died in the World Trade Center, are pictured on the grounds of the Pentagon near Washington, June 28, 2011. (Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters)

1974: American boxer Muhammad Ali, formerly Cassius Clay, strikes an aggressive pose at a press conference on November 29, 1974. (Photo by Harry Dempster/Express/Getty Images); American actor Will Smith at the Royal Premiere of the film Ali in London on December 11, 2001. Smith starred as Muhammad Ali in the film. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan poses with his creation “Him” (2001) prior to the opening of the exhibition “Not Afraid of Love” at the Hotel de la Monnaie in Paris, France, October 17, 2016. From October 21, 2016 to January 8, 2017, “Not Afraid of Love”, curated by Chiara Parisi, director of Cultural Programs, sets Maurizio Cattelan’s “comeback at work” in one of the most beautiful Palaces on the river Seine. (Photo by Philippe Wojazer/Reuters)

Actresses Pamela Anderson (L) and Elizabeth Hurley pose together as they arrive at the Vanity Fair post-Academy Awards party at Mortons in Los Angeles, March 25, 2001. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/AFP Photo via Getty Images)

Dancers of the Friedrichstadt-Palast from the show “THE WYLD” pose during a promotional photocall in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, June 25, 2015. The 10.6 million euro ($13.5 million) show is the largest production budget in the 95-year history of Friedrichstadt-Palast. (Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)