Clinton to testify on Benghazi attack

Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton is set to testify in front of a Congressional committee about the attack on a US consulate in Libya in 2012 that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans.

She was secretary of state at the time and is likely to face tough questions.

This is Clinton's second appearance before Republican-dominated Congress on her handling of the incident.

Her party says it is a witch-hunt designed to harm her presidential bid.

Shortly after 0930 local time (1330 GMT), Clinton was pictured leaving her home, as her husband Bill, former US president, waved her off.

She has a long day ahead of her, starting at 1000 local time and extending into today evening.

There have already been seven congressional investigations into the attack, by suspected Islamist militants, on the US compound in the Libyan city of Benghazi on 11 September 2012.

The raid led to the deaths of ambassador Chris Stevens and three other US embassy staff.

Comments made by Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy earlier this month, as part of his bid to become Speaker of the House, suggesting the committee was doing just that, have not helped their position.

Clinton said, in a television interview earlier this month, that she was "looking forward to answering questions about the real things when I'm there" and voiced her disgust at "a political partisan committee for the sole purpose of going after me".

One of the Republicans on the committee dismissed any suggestion it was partisan. "This has never been political for us," Martha Roby told the Associated Press. "This has always been about finding out the truth."