ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani security forces were on Sunday demolishing the compound in the garrison town of Abbottabad where Osama bin Laden was killed in a covert US raid in May.

The demolition, which began late on Saturday, continued overnight and bulldozers were busy as dawn broke in Abbottabad's suburban Bilal Town neighborhood.

Witnesses said troops blocked access to the compound, brought in heavy machinery and barred journalists from taking pictures or coming close to the site.

An AFP reporter however saw empty rooms, cupboards and a chair inside the house.

The reporter said over half the compound's buildings had been demolished and four bulldozers were smashing the brick and concrete structures.

Around 500 police were deployed, some of them manning an outer cordon while soldiers were positioned at the inner perimeter around the compound.

"The demolition work by security forces, including troops, continued overnight," said a police official on the spot, and officials said the work would continue during Sunday.

"The structure is very strong as it is made of concrete and steel and that is why it is taking long to demolish it," a security official said.

The compound has been under the security forces' control since bin Laden was killed by US Navy SEALs in a covert helicopter operation without Islamabad's knowledge.

The al-Qaida leader lived in the compound for several years with his three wives, nine children and grandchildren.

The US troops buried him at sea, determined there be no grave that could act as a memorial to the mastermind of the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

However, soon after bin Laden's death the compound attracted hundreds of visitors each day and at the time officials feared his final hiding place could become a shrine or a tourist spot unless the military destroyed it.

But there has been no official comment on why the demolition is being carried out.

Residents said they heard the noise of machines and thuds of debris throughout the night, and some perched on surrounding rooftops to watch the process.

"We spent the entire night standing in the cold," a policeman said as his colleagues lit a fire to warm themselves.

Residents said a school should be built on the site as there were none in the neighborhood, while a security official said it would be a "good idea to grow vegetables here".

"It will take some time before the government takes any decision about the future use of the land on which the compound stood," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"The provincial government had requested us to raze this compound as it might create problems for them in the future," the official said.

Agence France-Presse