It appears in a recently released report where the Australian military has investigated its operation in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.
"Some soldiers took the law into their own hands, rules were broken, stories were boiled down, lies were lied to and prisoners were killed," Australia's chief of staff, Angus Campbell, told a news conference.
Young soldiers who had not yet been killed were urged by their officers to shoot prisoners, although it was obvious that these were persons not participating in the fighting.
The investigation identifies 25 current and former soldiers, of whom the Australian police should investigate 19 for the 39 murders, reports ABC News.
More than 420 witnesses
Several other irregularities also appear in the report and its author, Major General Paul Brereton, places the indirect blame on the culture of war which he says has flourished within the special forces.
The investigation has taken over four years to compile.
More than 420 witnesses have been heard and over 20,000 documents and 25,000 photos have been reviewed.
The Australian Armed Forces is now apologizing to the Afghan people and also believes that Australia should pay damages to the families of the victims.
Following the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, more than 26,000 Australian soldiers went to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and the terrorist group al-Qaeda together with the United States and other allied troops, writes the news agency AFP.