In this Saturday, June 24, 2017 file photo, Zeid Ali, 12, left, and Hodayfa Ali, 11, comfort each other after their house was hit and collapsed during fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq. The Ali cousins said some of their family members are still under the rubble. (Photo by Felipe Dana/AP Photo/File)

A member of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) reacts as her mother (L) places a badge with stars on the uniform during the 34th batch assistant commandants pipping ceremony at the National Industrial Security Academy (NISA) in Hyderabad on October 29, 2021. (Photo by Noah Seelam/AFP Photo)

A fan waves a Brazilian flag before the arrival of the Olympic torch ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on August 2, 2016 in Sao Goncalo, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The torch will arrive in the city of Rio tomorrow and the Games commence on August 5. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Bayern's Giulia Gwinn heads the ball during the women's quarterfinal Champions League first leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (Photo by Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)

(L-R) Pieter Van Lankveld, Jay Schippers, Ynze Oegema, Justin Kimmann, Teun Kivit and Twan Van Gendt compete during the Dutch National BMX Championships at Olympic Training Centre Papendal on October 11, 2020 in Arnhem, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Winner Jorge Prado of Spain in action during the first MXGP race at the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, 10 April 2023. (Photo by Gian Ehrenzeller/EPA)

Vendors selling candied haws wait for customers at the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, China, January 4, 2016. The festival is open from Jan. 5 till Feb. 5, 2016, and is aimed at attracting both foreign and local visitors to experience the beauty of the ice and snow. (Photo by Wang Zhao/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.