Kabul (AFP) - The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on the Pakistani embassy in Kabul on Saturday, which Islamabad described as an "assassination attempt".

A security guard was wounded by gunfire on Friday at the Pakistani embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

In a statement carried by the SITE website, which specializes in monitoring jihadist groups, the Khorasan branch of the Islamic State said that it had "attacked the apostate Pakistani ambassador and his guards."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif condemned what he described as an "assassination attempt" targeting the head of the Pakistani mission, calling for an investigation into the incident.

A Kabul police spokesman said that a suspect had been arrested and two light weapons had been confiscated after security forces raided a nearby building.

Although Pakistan did not officially recognize the Taliban government, it kept its embassy open after the Islamists returned to power in August 2021.

An official at the Pakistani embassy told AFP that shots were fired in the afternoon from the embassy's outer wall, noting that "the ambassador and all other members of the mission are safe."

A spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry strongly condemned this "failed attack."

"The Islamic Emirate will never allow malicious elements to threaten the security of diplomatic missions in Kabul," he said in a statement.

He added, "The security agencies will conduct a serious investigation into this incident. After discovering the perpetrators, they will be punished according to the law."

The Taliban took over the rule of Afghanistan again in August 2021, in parallel with the withdrawal of American and foreign forces from the country.

Pakistan receives more than a million Afghan refugees on its soil. The porous borders between the two countries have been home to several armed groups for a long time, which, since the return of the Taliban, have become a growing source of tension.

In November, a Pakistani guard was shot dead at the Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing, which had been closed for a week.

Pakistan accuses its neighbor Afghanistan of facilitating the activity of the Pakistani Taliban and of allowing it to plan its attacks from Afghan soil, which Kabul continues to deny.