A NUMBER of Australian military commanders have been stripped of their medals for alleged involvement in war crimes during the Afghanistan war, Defence Minister Richard Marles said today.

Following an investigation into alleged misconduct in the war between 2005 and 2016, Major General Paul Brereton recommended that several serving and former commanders be held accountable for the unlawful killings of 39 Afghans.

He found that around 25 soldiers of the Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment and the Commando Regiment had been involved in the deaths and recommended that to be investigated for possible charges, including murder.