Sunni Militant Group Claims Twin Quetta Attacks

A Pakistani militant group has claimed responsibility for twin deadly attacks in the southwestern city of Quetta over the weekend.

The extremist Lashkar-e-Jhangvi said it carried out the attacks that killed at least 24 people.

On June 15, militants bombed a bus carrying female students, killing at least 14 people.

A suicide bomber then struck the hospital where the victims were taken before gunmen siezed parts of the building.

The attack on the hospital left at least 10 dead and sparked a gunbattle with security forces that lasted several hours.

Quetta is a flashpoint for sectarian violence between majority Sunni Muslims and minority Shi'ites who account for 20 percent of Pakistan's 180 million population.

Lashqar-e-Jhangvi is behind a series of bloody attacks on Shi'a.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP