Security forces in Pakistan on Monday detected and defused a bomb placed in a van parked near the heavily guarded US consulate in Karachi.

The consulate was closed after security forces cordoned off the building and searched the premises and its vicinity for explosives.

Two men left the van outside the building saying it had broken down, CNN reported on Monday.

The consulate has been a target for attack by militants after the US invaded Afghanistan and removed the Taliban from power.