What really happened on the night of March 11 when 17 Afghan civilians were massacred in Kandahar province?

US soldier Robert Bales is in custody, facing charges of mass murder, but Afghan investigators suspect there may have been at least one other killer involved.

With unprecedented access to Afghan military investigators, Yalda Hakim travels to the villages where the massacre took place and interviews survivors of the attack, as well as Afghan guards at the US military base that housed the alleged gunman.

What she finds out from them has made headlines in the United States and around the world.

WATCH - Click to see Yalda's report, which was subsequently nominated for Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report in the 2013 Logie Awards.

RESPONSE TO MEDIA WATCH - Following criticism over the accuracy of this report by the ABC's Media Watch, read the response from Dateline's Executive Producer Peter Charley.

WORLDWIDE REACTION - Dateline's story made headlines around the world, including coverage on CNN and NBC in the US. After viewing the story, the Pentagon rejected the claims that Bales didn't act alone.

There's also a detailed blog on the Debating Chambers website looking at what's been reported worldwide about the massacre and the circumstances surrounding it.

INTERVIEW WITH YALDA - Yalda Hakim explains to SBS Radio's World News Australia how she was able to get such unprecedented access to the massacre investigation.

REPLAY - Look at Dateline's previous stories from Afghanistan, including Yalda's interview last month with President Hamid Karzai.

INSIGHT - SBS's Insight on 27th March looked at people who are trained to kill as part of their jobs and discussed what impact it has on their lives - click to watch online. Insight is shown before Dateline each Tuesday at 8.30pm on SBS ONE.

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Photos (Robert Bales/Kandahar file image): AAP

On air: 27th March 2012