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.

ATTENTION PLEASE! This publication is NOT about cute animals! This is a compilation of photographs of DIFFERENT content! Some photos may SHOCK YOU.

Photo: An eleven-week-old lion cub growls as she plays with a stuffed toy at the San Francisco Zoo April 25, 2003 in San Francisco, California. The cub's mother, Kita, died two days after giving birth to her and her brother. Zookeepers have hand fed and cared for the two surviving cubs around the clock since their mother died. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Chinese female weightlifter Xiang Yanmei, who competes in the 69 kg weightclass, rests with a weight on her stomach as she checks her phone during a training session in preparation for the Rio Olympics at the Training Center of General Administration of Sports in China on July 20, 2016 in Beijing, China. Xiang Yanmei won the World Championships in 2013 and 2015. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

An Oakland Raiders cheerleader performs during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, October 27, 2013. (Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

A person does a handstand in front of a burning pile of tyres during a protest against prospect of military rule in Khartoum, Sudan on October 21, 2021. (Photo by Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters)

People stand in queue keeping social distance beside a Covid-19 awareness scarecrows placed by Chennai municipality at a market during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Chennai on April 11, 2020. (Photo by Arun Sankar/AFP Photo)

Humanoid robot bartender “Carl” interacts with guests at the Robots Bar and Lounge in the eastern German town of Ilmenau, July 26, 2013. “Carl”, developed and built by mechatronics engineer Ben Schaefer who runs a company for humanoid robots, prepares spirits for the mixing of cocktails and is able to interact with customers in small conversations. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

Dutch artist Maxim Gazendam works on his sand sculpture during the third edition of the European Championship Sand Sculpting 2014 in Zandvoort aan Zee, The Netherlands, 08 August 2014. Eight sculptors from different European countries will each create an impressive sculpture on the main theme “Music and Dance”. (Photo by Remko De Waal/EPA)