The gun and bomb attack on the Bethel Memorial Methodist Church on Quetta’s Zarghoon Road took place on Sunday afternoon.
One attacker was killed at the entrance to the church while the other set off his explosive payload inside the building, where hundreds of worshippers were attending services at the church ahead of Christmas.
A few hours after the attack, the Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) Takfiri terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement carried by the group’s Amaq news agency.
Qassemi in a statement expressed condolences to the people and government of Pakistan and the families of the victims.
He described the attack as a blind and ruthless crime against innocent people and said remnants of Takfiri-Zionist Daesh terrorists are trying to intimidate nations and undermine their unity.
He added that while the Takfiri terrorist group, which was quashed in the Middle East despite attempts by some regional and trans-regional ill-wishers, its remnants are still seeking to keep the region in chaos.