KABUL, Afghanistan — A NATO supply convoy came under attack by Taliban insurgents in western Afghanistan, with 37 dead reported in the firefight and NATO airstrikes that ensued, Afghan officials said Thursday.
The victims included seven private security guards with two firms guarding the convoy, according to an official at one of the companies, plus two Afghan soldiers and numerous Taliban.
Fayaz Jailani, the regional operations manager for GFI Security, said the convoy came under attack late Wednesday by 70 to 80 insurgents with heavy machine guns and other weapons. One guard from his company was killed, and six from a second company protecting the convoy, Aria Security, also died. The victims were all Afghans, he said.
The attack took place in the Gulistani district of Farah province, and the convoy was en route from Herat province to a NATO base in Helmand province, Jailani said.
The head of security for the Farah provincial police, Muhammad Ghus Mayaar, said the fighting began Wednesday afternoon and continued for eight hours, with 28 Taliban attackers killed by the time it ended.
A spokesman for the NATOled International Security Assistance Force, Master Sgt. Russell Bertke, said the coalition ran two close-air-support strikes against the attacking Taliban in support of Afghan forces, but no civilians were killed.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 03/30/2012