ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Bombings targeting police killed 10 people and wounded 14 in Pakistan's volatile northwest and the capital on Thursday — vivid reminders of the challenge facing the U.S.-allied country as its lawmakers pursue a national consensus on battling terrorism.

One attack, an apparent suicide car bombing, occurred in a police complex in Islamabad. It wrecked an anti-terror squad building and wounded at least four police while lawmakers met elsewhere in the capital for a rare, private military briefing about domestic militancy.

Meanwhile, a roadside bomb struck a prisoners' vehicle in the Dir region near Afghanistan and killed two police, four inmates and four children. Ten people were wounded, said Sher Bahadur Khan, a senior government official.

Al-Qaida and Taliban militants have established bases in Pakistan's northwest near the Afghan border, and it is that region that bears the brunt of the violence in the country. But in recent weeks, the militants have repeatedly demonstrated their reach extends farther.

In September, a massive suicide truck bombing in Islamabad killed 54 people and severely damaged the Marriott Hotel, a favorite spot for foreigners. Security has been beefed up since in the capital, and it was especially high Thursday for the parliament session.

Police were investigating how the attacker breached security in the police complex. They were also looking into a potential link to an unknown man who delivered sweets to the building moments before the explosion, according to senior Islamabad police official Asghar Gardaizi. Gardaizi said body parts found indicated a suicide bomber.

The facade of the three-story, red-brick building was destroyed and a staircase had collapsed. Gardaizi said at least four people were hurt; others said up to nine were wounded.

Police commando Gulshan Aftab told The Associated Press he was sitting nearby when a "Suzuki car hit the anti-terror squad barrack and exploded with a big bang." He said the main building was largely empty because many officers were guarding Parliament and other areas of Islamabad.

"About 10 people were inside at the time, and we saw six or seven injured," he said.

State media reported that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari insisted attacks like those Thursday would not deter Pakistan from battling extremists. But many citizens believe Pakistan's support of the U.S.-led war on terror is what's spurring the violence.

The U.S. has shown impatience with Pakistan's efforts against insurgents by launching cross-border operations in the northwest, where al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is rumored to be hiding. Such attacks — usually missile strikes — have further angered Pakistanis.

The new civilian government, however, has urged Pakistanis to take ownership of the war on terror, and called the joint Parliament session to build a national consensus on the subject.

Participants were sworn to secrecy in the closed session, which was to resume on Monday. The topics included Pakistan's military offensives against insurgents in tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.

After the meeting adjourned Thursday, some politicians said they wanted more details on social, economic and other aspects of the extremist threat, not just military operations.

Some complained that much of the data shared had already been released in the media.

Khurram Dastagir, a member of the opposition party of ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told Dawn News TV that legislators were eager to know of any agreements Pakistan and the U.S. had reached in their partnership.

Analysts have speculated that former President Pervez Musharraf's government might have had a spoken deal allowing the U.S. to strike terrorist targets on Pakistani soil.

"We would like to know what agreements have been made, what understandings — if there is no written agreement as we have been told — what understandings have been given to the U.S.," Dastagir said.