25 February 2012 Last updated at 12:15 ET

Osama Bin Laden compound 'being demolished' in Pakistan

US special forces raided the Abbottabad compound last year

Pakistan has begun to demolish the compound where US forces killed Osama Bin Laden in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, residents and police say.

The al-Qaeda leader was shot dead at the compound in the north-western city near the capital Islamabad in May 2011.

Security forces brought in bulldozers and began destroying the tall outer walls of the compound after sunset, reports say.

They set up floodlights to carry out the work.

In May last year, a team of US special forces flew from Afghanistan to Bin Laden's hiding place during the night in stealth helicopters.

They swept through the buildings within the high-walled enclosure and shot dead a total of five people, including Bin Laden.

Some 40 minutes later, they left, taking with them Bin Laden's body and a hoard of computer data devices and other information containing intelligence about al-Qaeda and Bin Laden's activities.

The compound has been a painful reminder for Pakistan, which was embarrassed by the unilateral US operation that killed Bin Laden, correspondents say.

BBC News - Osama Bin Laden compound 'being demolished' in Pakistan