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 model presents a creation by German designer Karl Lagerfeld as part of his Haute Couture Fall Winter 2015/2016 fashion show for French fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a casino in Paris, France, July 7, 2015. (Photo by Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

This image released by Paramount Pictures shows American singer Andra Day in “The United States vs Billie Holiday”. Day accepted the award best actress in a motion picture drama at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, February 28, 2021. (Photo by Takashi Seida/Paramount Pictures via AP Photo)

American actress Sarah Hyland at arrivals for 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards – Part 2, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA January 19, 2020. (Photo by Monica Almeida/Reuters)

An unidentified man brandishes a gun during a protest against a new citizenship law outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi, India, January 30, 2020. The gunman went live on Facebook to warn he was taking his “final journey” before firing at the protest. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

Jaime Winstone poses the Netflix BAFTA after party at Chiltern Firehouse on February 2, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Netflix)

A man wears a protective face mask as he walks along the main market in downtown after the government eased the restrictions on movement aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Amman, Jordan on April 29, 2020. (Photo by Muhammad Hamed/Reuters)

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