Taliban on Thursday attacked a security company in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, killing 30 people and wounding 17 others, local police said Friday.

Kamaludin Khan, deputy police chief of Helmand province, told Xinhua that around 100 Taliban insurgents launched an attack on a local private security company in Sungin district of the province early on Thursday.

The gun battle lasted for several hours, claiming lives of 30 Afghan security guards and injuring 17 others, said the police chief.

Casualties on the Taliban were not clear.

Sungin district is the Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan.