BAGHDAD, Iraq – Three mortars hit a commuter bus station in central Baghdad (search) on Sunday afternoon, killing at least one person and injuring several others, officials said.
There were contradictory reports of death tolls.
Police Lt. Yasser Fawaz, who was at the scene, said about 10 people were killed and about 15 others injured. Interior Ministry spokesman Col. Adnan Abdulrahman said the attack killed one person and injured five others.
The mortar barrage came just hours after the start of a heavily secured national conference meant to move Iraq on the road toward democracy.
The mortars appeared to target the Green Zone (search), the fortified enclave where the conference was being held, but hit the station by mistake, Fawaz said.
The ground at the bus station was littered with shrapnel and shards of glass and stained with blood. Later, gunfire could be heard in the area.
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