Female pilot Anna climbs out the cockpit of Japanese electronics company Suidobashi Heavy Industry's newly unveiled robot “Kuratas” at the Wonder Festival in Chiba, suburban Tokyo on July 29, 2012. The “Kuratas” robot, which will go on sale with a price tag of one million USD, measures four meters in height, weighs four tons and has four wheeled legs that can either be controlled remotely through the 3G network or by a human seated within the cockpit. (Photo by Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP Photo)

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.

Chinelos (traditional costumed dancers) perform in front of San Andres Ocotlan church as part of continuing festivities to welcome the new year in Calimaya, Mexico on January 4, 2016. (Photo by Arturo Hernandez/Demotix/Corbis)

Ahmad Sayed Rahman, a five-year-old Afghan boy who lost his right leg when he was hit by a bullet in the crossfire of a battle, dances with his prosthetic leg at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hospital for war victims and the disabled, in Kabul on May 7, 2019. (Photo by Wakil Kohsar/AFP Photo)

Fans dressed as movie Star Wars characters pose as they cerebrate the Star Wars Day in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. May 4 is known as Star Wars Day among fans worldwide since the date sounds phonetically similar to the franchise's slogan, “May the Force Be With You”. (Photo by Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo)

Palestinian children warm themselves by a fire on a stormy day at Shati (beach) refugee camp in Gaza City January 18, 2016. (Photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

Residents make decorations mosque-shaped lamps to enliven the holy month of Ramadan in Pekanbaru, Riau Province on April 28, 2022. Muslims throughout the world are marking the month of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, during which devotees fast from dawn till dusk. (Photo by Afrianto Silalahi/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Lucaz Adamus (3), from Lucan, enjoying the Dublin Racing Festival, at Leopardstown Racecourse in Dublin, Ireland on February 5, 2023. (Photo by Tom Maher/Inpho)