A squadron of Australian special forces operators unlawfully killed dozens of civilians in Afghanistan, according to a war crimes investigation that has prompted the disbanding of the unit.

From 2005 to 2016, members of the Australian special forces killed 39 Afghan noncombatants — killings perpetrated not in the “fog of war” but against defenseless civilians and detainees.

Police on Monday charged the first Australian veteran for an alleged murder in Afghanistan three years after a war crime investigation found that 19 Australian special forces soldiers could face ...