Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned an attack on a mosque in Kohat city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province during Friday prayers.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the ministry’s spokesman described attacks on places of worship as “unjustifiable and condemnable.”

The ministry also expressed sympathy with the families of those killed and injured in the incident.

At least 16 people were killed and 57 others injured in the blast in Kohat on Friday.

No individual or group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), has said that Afghanistan wants to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia, praising the Kingdom’s role in reconstruction and in promoting peace and stability in the country.

In an interview with Al Arabiya English, Mujahid said Afghanistan wants continued dialogue and cooperation with Pakistan and would welcome a broader role for Saudi Arabia in helping resolve disputes between the two countries.

Mujahid said security challenges involving the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Baloch groups and others had existed in Pakistan for years and should be addressed internally rather than blamed on Afghanistan.

He also said Afghanistan does not allow the TTP to operate on its territory and does not support armed groups or permit Afghan soil to be used against other countries.

Mujahid warned that Afghanistan would defend itself and deliver a “crushing response” if Pakistan violated Afghan territory under the pretext of self-defense.

A 40-year-old Afghan man has been arrested in the German city of Hamburg after he went to a police station and told officers that he had killed his wife, German media reported.

The man went to Police Station 31 in the Barmbek district at around 8:31 a.m. on Thursday and made the confession. Police arrested him at the station.

Police and emergency responders then went to the family’s apartment on Von-Essen-Straße, where they found the woman unconscious. Paramedics attempted to revive her and took her to hospital, but the mother of three later died.

According to BILD newspaper, the woman had been strangled.

Police secured the scene and the case has been handed over to a homicide squad and the Hamburg public prosecutor’s office. The suspect is expected to appear before a judge.

The couple’s children were at school when the incident occurred. Relatives have been receiving support from a crisis intervention team of the German Red Cross.

In a separate incident, a family member attempted to harm himself with a knife after being informed of the woman’s death. A homicide detective was slightly injured in the hand while intervening and was taken to hospital. The family member was also detained.

The investigation into the case is ongoing.