Ahmad Jan Bilal, General Director of State-Owned Corporations, met with Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad during a visit to Iran to discuss expanding cooperation in the oil and gas sector.

Bilal, accompanied by Mohammad Nasir Rahimi, chief executive of the Afghan state-owned Oil and Gas Corporation, held talks with the Iranian minister on supplying Afghanistan with its oil and gas needs, technical and vocational training, and joint cooperation in oil and gas exploration.

Bilal and his delegation also visited the Iranian Oil Ministry’s research center and oil refineries in Tehran, where they reviewed the facilities’ technical and professional activities and capabilities.

The Iranian side expressed readiness for comprehensive cooperation, necessary coordination and implementation of joint projects in the areas discussed.

At the end of the meeting, both sides introduced joint technical teams tasked with coordinating and following up on the necessary measures to implement the agreed areas of cooperation.

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.