Clinton hits back at Trump over alleged Gaddafi dealings

US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has waded into a war of words with Donald Trump over her support for military intervention in Libya.

As the presidential election campaign gathers pace, Clinton has faced severe criticism from Trump for her role in the Obama administration's campaign in the oil-rich north African nation. At the time, Clinton was serving as secretary of state.

During a speech in New York in June, Trump claimed that "no secretary of state has been more wrong, more often and in more places".

"The Hillary Clinton foreign policy has cost America thousands of lives and trillions and trillions of dollars and unleashed ISIS across the world," he claimed.

Speaking on Libya, Trump accused Clinton of culpability in the death of late American ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed when the US consulate in Benghazi was attacked by armed men in September 2012.

"He was left helpless to die as Hillary Clinton soundly slept in her bed," said Trump, speaking in June.

"Ambassador Stevens and his staff in Libya made hundreds and hundreds of requests for security. They were desperate… She started the war that put them in Libya, denied him the security he asked for, then left him there to die."

Speaking last week, Clinton said there was "no difference between my opponent and myself" over Libya, adding that Trump had been recorded "supporting intervention in Libya when Gaddafi was threatening to massacre his population".

However, on Wednesday, following the publication of a Newsweek exclusive questioning the scrupulousness of the Trump Organisation's business ties with figures including Gaddafi, Clinton changed her tone.

Taking the war of words to Twitter, Clinton directed a question to Trump, asking incredulously: "If you were willing to work with Qaddafi - a known terrorist and dictator - is there anyone you aren't willing to make a deal with? Who?"

The Newsweek article drew attention to alleged attempts by Trump to woo Gaddafi, despite the fact the former Libyan dictator had been viewed as a sponsor of terrorism by the United States since the Reagan administration.