Pakistan said on Sunday it was verifying the veracity of reports that the outlawed group Islamic State- Khorasan Province (IS-KP) has accepted responsibility for the terrorist attack on the Pakistan Embassy compound on December 2.

“Independently and in consultation with the Afghan authorities, we are verifying the veracity of these reports,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement.

The banned group IS claimed responsibility for the attack on Friday, a statement carried by one of the militant group’s affiliated channels on Telegram said on Sunday, Reuters reported.

The embassy came under attack on Friday with gunfire wounding a Pakistani security guard, officials said, in what Islamabad called an attempt to assassinate its head of mission, who was unhurt.

The IS claimed the attack was carried by two of its members armed with “medium and sniper weapons” and was targeting the ambassador and his guards who were present in the courtyard of the embassy. The attack injured at least one guard and caused damage to the building, the group said.

“This notwithstanding, the terrorist attack is yet another reminder of the threat that terrorism poses to peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region,” the Foreign Office said.

The FO stressed the need for acting resolutely with all the collective might to defeat this menace. “On its part, Pakistan remains steadfast in its commitment to combat terrorism.”

Pakistan has so far no plans to close the embassy or withdraw diplomats from Kabul.

“Pakistan is in contact with the interim government in Afghanistan and enhanced security measures are being taken to protect Pakistani diplomatic personnel and Missions in Afghanistan,” Baloch said in response to a media query on Friday.

Security forces have claimed to arrest a suspect involved in a gun attack, reports said on Saturday. It added that the attack was carried out from a commercial building near the embassy.

The suspect was claimed to have been living on the eighth floor of the building. “When the security forces raided the building, he attempted to escape but was eventually captured. The security forces also recovered a long-range rifle and other weapons from the flat.”

In a tweet, former Pakistan’s envoy to Afghanistan paid tribute to the injured commando and prayed for his speedy recovery.

“We pay salute to bravery & courage of SSG Commando Muhammad Israr for taking bullets in his body to protect Pakistan’s Head of Mission in Kabul Ubaid Nizamani. Our best wishes for Israr’s quick & full recovery. May Allah keep our Mission & personnel safe,” it said.

The United States also condemned the attack and called for a full investigation.

“We offer our sympathies and wish a quick recovery to those affected by the violence. The United States is deeply concerned by the attack on a foreign diplomat, and we call for a full and transparent investigation,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a press briefing on Friday.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of Afghanistan’s interim government, in a phone call after the incident, assured Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of bringing the perpetrators of the heinous attack to justice swiftly.

“The Afghan government must prevent the terrorists from undermining relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Bilawal said.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was the latest country after the US to condemn the armed attack on Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul, Associated Press of Pakistan reported. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly condemns the armed attack on the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the Afghan capital Kabul, and the failed assassination attempt on the Charge d’affaires of the Embassy of Pakistan,” it said in a statement.

The ministry reaffirmed the kingdom’s firm position to renounce violence and terrorism wherever it is. It also reiterated the kingdom’s full solidarity and its standing by Pakistan and its brotherly people in the face of terrorism.

Although Pakistan does not officially recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban government, it kept its embassy open even as the group took over in August last year, and maintains a full diplomatic mission.

Pakistan has complicated relations with the Taliban, with Islamabad long accused of supporting the group even while backing the US-led invasion of Afghanistan that toppled them following the 9/11 attacks.