A man walks with a Cyberdog, produced by Chinese tech company Xiaomi, on February 19, 2022 in Beijing, China.The quadruped robots, often owned by tech and robotic enthusiasts, do not have a specific purpose so far, but the open source nature of the robots could make them suitable for several applications in the future. (Photo by Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images)

A monkey tries to quenche its thirst from a water tap on a hot summer day in Prayagraj on May 20, 2023. (Photo by Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo)

“Bodies in urban spaces” is a temporarily intervention in diversified urban architectonical environment. The intention of “bodies in urban spaces” is to point out the urban functional structure and to uncover the restricted movement possibilities and behavior as well as rules and limitations. Photo: “Bodies in Urban Spaces”, September 26, 2010. (Photos by Andrew Russeth)

American media personality Lauren Sanchez and American businessman, media proprietor and investor Jeff Bezos at the Boom at The Standard Met Gala After Party held at The Boom Boom Room, The Standard Hotel on May 6, 2024 in New York. (Photo by Yvonne Tnt/BFA.com/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

“Amphilophus citrinellus is a large cichlid fish endemic to the San Juan River and adjacent watersheds in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. In the aquarium trade A. citrinellus is often sold under the trade name of Midas cichlid. A. citrinellus are omnivorous and their diet consists of plant material, molluscs and smaller fish”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Two Midas Cichlid (lat: amphilophus citrinellus) fish are seen in an aquarium at Hellabrunn zoo on December 23, 2009 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)

A park ranger stands next to a nothern white female rhinoceros named Najin at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, some 290 kms north of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on January 27, 2015. Najin is one of only five members of the sub-species left on the planet, three of which reside at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Conservationists and scientists met in Kenya this week to come up with a last ditch plan to save the northern white rhinoceros from extinction. (Photo by Tony Karumba/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.