BREAKING: Gunmen attack Pakistani embassy in targeted shooting

Pakistan’s head of mission in Kabul was the subject of a targeted assassination attempt today after gunmen attacked its embassy compound and shot a security guard. 

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the shooting at the country’s embassy compound in the Afghani capital this afternoon (Friday December 2) had been an attempt on the life of its head of mission, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani. 

According to news agency Reuters, a security guard at the embassy – which is one of only a few to have remained open since the Taliban assumed control of the country in August last year – was ‘critically injured’ in the attack. 

The unnamed guard was said to have ‘taken a bullet’ to save the life of Mr Nizamani, who only arrived in Afghanistan’s capital last month to take on his new role at the embassy. 

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, condemned the attack in a Twitter post, calling it an ‘assassination attempt’ and praising the security guard for saving Mr Nizamani’s life. 

He wrote: “I strongly condemn [the] dastardly assassination attempt on Head of Mission, Kabul.

“Salute to [the] brave security guard, who took [a] bullet to save his life.

“Prayers for the swift recovery of [the] security guard. I demand immediate investigation & action against [the] perpetrators of this heinous act.”

Sharif later Tweeted again to say he had spoken to Mr Nizamani and was ‘relieved’ to hear he is safe. 

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s own ministry of foreign affairs also condemned the attack on Twitter, with spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi writing: “[The] Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns the attempted shooting and failed attack on the Pakistani embassy in Kabul.”

It is not yet known who was behind the attack on Pakistan’s embassy. 

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