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.

Storm clouds blanket the sky over Great American Ball Park as Starlin Castro #13 of the Chicago Cubs fields a ground ball in the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds as on July 7, 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Vehicles clog a highway during a hazy day in Beijing, China, Wednesday, February 26, 2014. Beijing remained cloaked in hazardous white pollution hiding much of its skyline Wednesday, despite the announced closures or production cuts at 147 of the city's industrial plants. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

A Lord Krishna devotee is made up before the start of the Festival of Chariots, Ratha-yatra, held by the community of the Krishna Consciousness to honour Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe, in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Photo by Szilard Koszticsak/MTI via AP Photo)

Two young dancers take pictures while waiting for the start of the Koenji Awa-Odori dance festival, in the Koenji neighborhood of Tokyo. Saturday, August 24, 2019, Started in the 1950s, the Koenji Awa-Odori has grown to be one of Tokyo's largest and most popular summer festivals an estimated 10,000 dancers participating in the dance festival. Hundreds of thousands of spectators gather in the neighborhood to watch the two-day summer spectacle. The event is held on the last weekend of August each year. (Photo by Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)

A fisherman transports a shark and other fish with his ride to the traditional fish market in Lampulo, Aceh, Indonesia, 12 April 2018. The fishing industry is one of Indonesia's largest economic contributor, with almost half of the country's population working in the sector. (Photo by Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA/EFE)

Londoners enjoying the magnificent sight of sun setting perfectly in the middle of London Eye as seen from Greenwich Park in London, England on the warmest day of the year on April 19, 2018. (Photo by London Viewpoints/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Workers pull apart a house in Khandyga, Russia, on February 2, 2018. The shifting ground caused by the uneven thawing of permafrost each summer causes buildings like this Soviet-era apartment house to sag and collapse. (Photo by Amos Chapple/Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)