France's Ian Jason is tackled by Japan's Mei Ohtani during the first day of the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Friday, March 31, 2023. (Photo by Anthony Kwan/AP Photo)

Dog puppy “Sandy” protects against the rain with an umbrella fixed on her leash during a stroll in Rust, southern Germany, on May 26, 2013. (Photo by Patrick Seeger/AFP Photo)

Andrea Petkovic of Germany in action against Sara Errani of Italy during day one of the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament at the Caja Magica on May 3, 2014 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Azat Shajbyrov reacts with a baby falcon on his head in a village of Bokonbaevo, Issyk-Kul area (270 km from Bishkek), Kyrgyzstan, 22 June 2016, as he dreams of continuing a family tradition of golden eagle hunting. Eagle and falcon hunting is an old Kyrgyz tradition. With their birds, Kyrgyz berkutchy hunt in the mountains and participate in the hunting festival “Salburun”. (Photo by Igor Kovalenko/EPA)

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.

Mr Lordi aka Tomi Petteri Putaansuu of the Finnish hard rock band Lordi gets the second jab of his Covid-19 vaccination from nurse Paula Ylitalo (R) in Rovaniemi, Finland, on August 1, 2021, amid the novel coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Jouni Porsanger/Lehtikuva/AFP Photo)

A transgender woman waits backstage to perform during an event to raise funds for their community in Mumbai, India, September 20, 2018. (Photo by Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters)

A Femen activist, Sarah Constantin, is hanged from a noose-like rope from a Paris bridge to call attention to the large number of executions in Iran as she stages a protest against visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Paris, Thursday, January 28, 2016. A near-naked woman hanging from a noose-like rope from a Paris bridge has sent a message to visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (Photo by Zacharie Scheurer/AP Photo)