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.

Corporal of Horse Andy Radford prepares to mount his horse in the parade square at Hyde Park Barracks on April 15, 2011 in London, England. Members of the Household Cavalry gave a behind the scenes tour of many of the duties performed as part of their daily routine, including special preparation ahead of the forthcoming Royal Wedding. The Household Cavalry will perform several ceremonial duties during the summer, including the Royal Wedding on April 29, and the Queen's Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) in June. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

“Husky is a general term for several breeds of dogs used as sled dogs. Huskies were originally used as sled dogs in northern regions but are now also kept as pets. The word “husky” is a corruption of the derogative term “Eskie”, also given to the Esquimaux tribes that came into contact with Europeans who made early expeditions into their lands. The most common huskies are the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Husky”. – Wikipedia

Photo: A husky looks out from his pen as competitors and teams prepare for the 27th annual Aviemore Husky Sled Dog Rally beside Loch Morlich on January 21, 2010 Aviemore, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

A man looks at members of the flash mob group calling themselves the «Brides of March» (“Grab a wedding dress and join the brides as we parade through the heart of San Francisco, strolling through Union Square, shopping at fancy stores and drinking at local bars!”) as they stand outside a bar March 18, 2006 in San Francisco. The flash mob group made their way through the streets stopping at bars, cafes, and several stores. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Bedouin breeders fix a robot jockey mounted on a camel before the 18th International Camel Racing festival at the Sarabium desert in Ismailia, Egypt, March 12, 2019. Several Gulf countries have banned child jockeys from the traditional Bedouin sport after rights groups said the youngsters were often injured and some had been abducted or sold by their families. (Photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)

Hundreds of houses painted in bright colors in what organizers claim is Mexico's largest mural, is part of a government-sponsored project is called Pachuca Paints Itself, in the Palmitas neighborhood, in Pachuca, Mexico, Thursday, July 30, 2015. German Crew is the artist collective responsible for painting the mural project. Director Enrique Gomez, who goes by MYBE, said the crew has painted 1,500 square meters with 20,000 liters of paint. Working hand-in-hand with residents, muralists have painted the facades of 200 homes bright lavender, lime green, incandescent orange – hues more commonly found in a bag of Skittles than in the drab, cement-and-cinderblock neighborhoods where many of Mexico's poor live. The project aims to bring the community together and rehabilitate the area. (Photo by Sofia Jaramillo/AP Photo)

Camel herders scoop up water in plastic buckets from one of the few watering holes in the area, to water their animals near the drought-affected village of Bandarero, near Moyale town on the Ethiopian border, in northern Kenya, Friday, March 3, 2017. The U.N. humanitarian chief, Stephen O'Brien, toured Bandarero village on Friday and called on the international community to act to “avert the very worst of the effects of drought and to avert a famine to make sure we don't go from what is deep suffering to a catastrophe”. (Photo by Ben Curtis/AP Photo)