Australia's defense minister said on Friday that he has apologized to his Afghan counterpart for racist comments made by Australian soldiers serving in Afghanistan that were posted on Facebook and broadcast on Australian television.

Seven Network News on Thursday night broadcast expletive-laden video footage posted on the social networking website that included soldiers using racist terms among themselves to describe Afghans.

They used several derogatory terms to refer to Afghans. One solider described them as "smelly locals."

Australian soldiers are heard cheering and laughing as an Afghan man, described as a "scared ... mufti," is videotaped fleeing a bridge explosion.

Defense Minister Stephen Smith said he had telephoned Afghan Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak late Thursday to apologize and advise that disciplinary action was likely. Smith said Wardak replied that he did not expect the incident would hurt Australia's standing in his country.

"This action by a small number of people is appalling," Smith told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio Friday. "I condemn it absolutely."

"There is no place for our diggers on the ground in Afghanistan to engage in cultural abuse, to engage in racial abuse," he added, using a colloquial term for Australian soldiers.

Smith said the incident would be investigated at the highest level of the Australian military and soldiers associated with the offensive postings could be recalled from Afghanistan.

Afghan Ambassador Amanullah Jayhoon said on Friday that he had accepted an assurance from Australian Defense Chief, Air Marshall Angus Houston, that the military would take appropriate action.

"It is very distressing, shocking and appalling, but I am sure that this does not represent the whole Australian forces' professionalism," Jayhoon told The Associated Press.

"The problem is that it will be used against Australian soldier and against the Afghan government," he said. "This sort of disrespectful behavior will endanger the lives of others."

Acting Chief of Army, Maj. Gen. Paul Symon, said in a statement that "the private comments of a few soldiers could cause deep offense to Australians and our partners in Afghanistan."

"The material posted by these soldiers discredits the overwhelmingly positive culture demonstrated throughout our deployments in Afghanistan over the last decade," Symon said.

"These soldiers have demonstrated a lack of decency and professional judgment, and brought discredit to themselves and disrepute to the army" and the Australian Defense Force, he added.

An investigation had begun and the army would take appropriate disciplinary or administrative action against the individuals involved, he said.

Neil James, executive director of the independent security think tank Australian Defense Association, said he visited Australian troops based in southern Uruzgan province in December and is certain the Facebook postings were the work of a minority.

"Not only are they unprofessional and disgraceful in themselves, but in a counterinsurgency war, it is very important that you carry the local population with you and what they've in effect done is give the enemy propaganda to use against us in the worst possible way," James said.

With 1,550 troops in Afghanistan, Australia is the 10th largest contributor to the U.S.-led war there and the largest outside NATO.