A participant prepares for the Red Bull Air Race World Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on February 6, 2017. (Photo by Red Bull Content Pool/SIPA Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Richard Coleby of Polaris falls over his quad into muddy waters during day one of the HydroGarden Weston Beach Race on October 14, 2017 in Weston-Super-Mare, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

21 year-old Chanel Tapper, with the amazing tongue and 35 year-old Aevin Dugas, with the beautiful hair was certified as world record breakers for the world’s longest tongue and the world’s biggest afro in the Guinness Book of World Records. (Photo by Guinness World Records)

White lioness Azira lies in the cage with her three white cubs, on February 4, 2014. Zoo owner Andrzej Pabich says white lions often have defects that prevent giving birth, or the mother rejects her cubs, but Azira has been patiently feeding and caring for her little ones. (Photo by Czarek Sokolowski/Associated Press)

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.

Kashmiri vegetable vendors assemble at a floating market in the interiors of the Dal Lake in Srinagar April 17, 2012. (Photo by Danish Ismail/Reuters)

Thomas Shelby makes a fire as he prepares to stay the night by the rubble of his home to protect from potential looters in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, on Saturday, December 11, 2021. One or more tornados tore through Dawson Springs late last night. (Photo by Austin Anthony/The Washington Post)