Islamic State claims responsibility for Quetta blast, Haraza community people continue protest

The militant Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack in Quetta which killed 20 people and left 48 more injured, the group's Amaq news agency said on Saturday, reported Dawn News.

The group released a photograph of the bomber along with his name on Saturday and said the attack targeted the Shia community. It has claimed a number of attacks in the past, the Pakistan-based newspaper reported.

Sunni militant group had claimed responsibility:

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni militant group known to target the Hazara community,  had earlier claimed responsibility for the incident.

"We claim responsibility for the attack in Quetta," Qari Saifullah, a spokesman for the group, told CNN. "We targeted the Hazara community." 

Hazara community members continue protest:

Hazara community members  are protesting against the blast for yet another day on Western Bypass road in Quetta. They are also demanding for better security measures and protection of the Hazara people.

The protesters, who were joined by workers and leaders of the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) on Saturday, blocked the western bypass, which links the provincial capital with main highways, by placing heavy boulders and barricades and burning tyres and set up camps in the area, reported Dawn News.

As per local media reports, authorities have sent the body parts of the suicide bomber for DNA test.