Fatou Bensouda has been investigating allegations of war crimes by US forces and their allies in Afghanistan - and last month the US warned it might refuse or revoke visas to any ICC staff involved in such probes.

Ms Bensouda's office insisted she would continue to do her duties without fear or favour. The US is not a member of the ICC.

The African Union (AU) lobbied intensely for Ms Bensouda to become ICC chief prosecutor in 2012 after accusing her predecessor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, of unfairly targeting Africans for investigation, an allegation he denied.

Image caption: Fatou Bensouda is a Gambian who became ICC chief prosecutor in 2012