ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan -- Crews have begun to demolish the compound where al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in May, local residents said Saturday, The Associated Press reported.
Pakistani security forces and local officials earlier moved heavy machinery toward the compound, fueling speculation that preparations were being made to demolish the two-story building.
Some residents said Pakistani security forces and police were deployed in the area to stop those trying to go toward the compound, NBC News reported.
A journalist in AbbotTabad told NBC News that a military cordon was set up got half a mile around the compound.
NBC News and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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