He said the report recommended that 19 soldiers be investigated by police for possible charges, including murder.
Announcing the findings of a four-year investigation by Chief Paul Brereton, the judge, who was asked to look into the allegations, visited more than 400 witnesses and reviewed thousands of pages of documents.
“On behalf of the Afghan Australian Defense Forces, for the people of Afghanistan, I sincerely and unconditionally apologize for any wrongdoing committed by Australian troops,” Campbell said.
He said he would speak directly to his Afghan military counterpart to express his remorse.
“Such alleged behavior deeply disrespects the trust placed in us by the Afghan people, who asked us to help their country,” Campbell said. “It would have ruined the lives of Afghan families and communities, causing immense pain and suffering. And that would have jeopardized our mission and the security of the Afghan and coalition partners.
