Taliban authorities have said they are investigating the attack and that the embassy compound was targeted by gunfire from a nearby building. Image Credit- Twitter.
Kabul: The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Saturday for an attack on Pakistan’s embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul, which Islamabad decried as an “assassination attempt”, according to a report from AFP.
The embassy came under attack on Friday and a Pakistani security guard was shot by gunfire in what Islamabad called an attempt to assassinate its head of mission, who didn’t got any injuries.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called it “an assassination attempt” on the head of the mission, and demanded an investigation.
In a statement cited by jihadist monitor SITE, the Islamic State’s regional chapter said it had “attacked the apostate Pakistani ambassador and his guards”.
Taliban authorities have said they are investigating the attack and that the embassy compound was targeted by gunfire from a nearby building. A Kabul Police spokesperson. said they had arrested one suspect and recovered two firearms.
Although Pakistan does not officially recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban government, it kept its embassy open even as the hardline Islamists took over in August last year, and maintains a full diplomatic mission.
A lone attacker “came behind the cover of houses and started firing”, but that the ambassador and other staff were safe, an embassy official was quoted as saying by AFP.
A spokesman for Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said they strongly condemned the “failed attack”.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will not allow any malicious actors to pose a threat to the security of diplomatic missions in Kabul,” it said in a statement, vowing to find and punish those responsible.
Pakistan has complicated relations with the Taliban, with Islamabad long accused of supporting the Islamists even while backing the US-led invasion of Afghanistan that toppled them following the 9/11 attacks.
Pakistan is home to more than a million Afghan refugees, and the porous border they share is frequently the scene of clashes.
Since returning to power, the Afghan Taliban have insisted they would not allow foreign militant groups to operate from home soil.
With inputs from agencies
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.