ISIS vow 'black days' ahead for West after claiming responsibility for Brussels attacks

The group is claiming more than 230 dead and wounded but Belgian authorities are saying at least 31 have been killed and under 200 injured.

The death cult says Belgium was targeted as \"a country participating in the inteational coalition against the Islamic State\".

But the country has only carried out a limited bombing campaign with its warplanes and that was confined to Iraq before stopping in 2015.

More than 100 supporting troops and military advisers are believed to remain in the country.

In a statement released through one of its propaganda outlets, the so-called Islamic State said: \"Explosive belts and devices\" were used to massacre passengers checking in at Brussels Airport and on a Metro train.

\"Islamic State fighters opened fire inside Zaventem Airport, before several of them detonated their explosive belts, as a martyrdom bomber detonated his explosive belt in the Maalbeek Metro station,\" a spokesperson said.

Social media has seen terrorist sympathisers posting sick messages.

One supporter of the sick death cult said on Twitter: \"The state will force you to reevaluate your ways a thousand times before you are emboldened to kill Muslims again, and know that Muslims now have a state to defend them.\"