An independent report published in redacted form said there was evidence that 39 unarmed Afghan prisoners and civilians were killed by 19 Australian soldiers.
None of the soldiers were identified in the report, written by a state judge appointed by the inspector-general of defence. The 19 current and former soldiers were referred for possible prosecution.
The report into the conduct of Special Forces personnel in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016 said senior commandos may have forced junior soldiers to kill defenceless captives to "blood" them for combat.
READ | Australia to appoint special investigator to examine possible prosecution of military in Afghanistan
Australia's most senior military official apologised to Afghanistan after the release of the report.
The inquiry examined more than 20 000 documents and 25 000 images and interviewed 423 witnesses under oath.
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