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.

India's Central Reserve Police Force personnel take part in a rehearsal for the Republic Day parade on a cold winter morning in New Delhi January 8, 2014. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)

Women walk past a mannequin with a covered face as they shop ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Adha in Aleppo, Syria September 23, 2015. (Photo by Hamid Khatib/Reuters)

Visitors visit the upside-down family size house in Taipei, Taiwan, 23 February 2016. The three story upside-down family size house attracts hundreds of visitor’s who are amused with the exhibit. According to the organizers, the total cost of the construction is around 600,000 US Dollars and took 2 months to complete. (Photo by Ritchie B. Tongo/EPA)

Savita, a street performer, helps her dog to balance on empty tin containers as they perform at a roadside in Ahmedabad September 7, 2014. (Photo by Amit Dave/Reuters)

This 1950s photo provided by the Estate of Vivian Maier and John Maloof Collection shows Maier in a self-portrait as she looks into a storefront wearing a hat in New York. New research about Maier shows the enigmatic Chicago nanny was obsessive about honing her skills as a photographer starting in 1950. (Photo by Vivian Maier/Estate of Vivian Maier and John Maloof Collection via AP Photo)

A hyena cub got a mouthful from his mum after it appears he got a right telling off. Michael Raddall, a animal enthusiast and wildlife photographer from South Africa, snapped the mum and cub at the Timbavati game reserve in South Africa while on safari at the Umlani Bush camp. (Photo by Michael Raddall/Caters News Agency)

Guests arrive for the Arlo Guthrie concert at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the original site of the Woodstock Festival, on the 50th anniversary in Bethel, New York, U.S. August 15, 2019. (Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters)