Shafaq News/ Iraqi security authorities ramped up security measures at the Sindiya bridge, a vital crossing between Diyala and Saladin, in the aftermath of yesterday's sectarian flare-up in al-Miqdadiyah.

Located nine kilometers to the northeast of the Khales sub-district in Diyala, the Sindiya bridge, which traverses the Tigris river, is a vital crossing between the governorates of Saladin and Diyala.

A source told Shafaq News Agency that security forces halted traffic movement on the bridge before cautiously restoring it with heavy security measures.

Diyala's Tuesday was riddled with two bloody attacks that resurrected the memories of sectarian conflict in the ethnically and religiously diverse governorate in 2006-2007.

On Tuesday evening, a group of ISIS terrorists abducted three persons in exchange for ransom. However, after killing the abductees, the group ambushed their relatives on a road leading to the exchange site and showered with bullets and mortar shells after blowing a series of explosive devices. At least fifteen persons were injured in the attack that ended up with fourteen persons dead.

In the aftermath of the attack, a group of unidentified assailants waged a retaliatory attack on the nearby Sunni Nahr Imam village, killing and injuring scores of unarmed civilians and burning the only Healthcare facility in the village, a mosque, and many cars and properties.