DHAKA: Two Bangladeshi policemen in the capital were injured in a crude bomb attack that has been claimed by the Islamic State group.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police chief Asaduzzaman Mia said the attack happened late Saturday night when a car carrying a Cabinet minister was passing through Dhaka's busy Dhanmondi area. A policeman from his security team and a traffic officer were both injured in the explosion.

Local Government and Rural Development Minister Tazul Islam escaped unhurt.

The Islamic State group said in a statement posted late Saturday on an IS-affiliate website that two traffic police officers were severely wounded when a "security detachment from the soldiers of the Caliphate" detonated an explosive device in a Dhaka street targeting the two officers.

The policemen were being treated in a hospital and their injuries were not life-threatening.

The IS has claimed similar attacks on police in the past. Authorities do not publicly reveal the results of their investigations.

Bangladesh has a history of attacks by radical groups.