ISLAMABAD, March 10 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) invited Monday, March 10, some three dozen foreign journalists in the capital Islamabad to counteract what it called "flak" from the Western media over its contribution to the war on terrorism.

Journalists, invited to the ISI headquarters by information ministry officials, were told not to reveal the ISI officials' identities, according to Agence France Presse (AFP).

"For the first time we are exposing ourselves," a top ISI official said. "This organization is making tremendous efforts to counter terrorism ... but we're not getting our dues."

In a 75-minute briefing, top ISI officials showed a video of the dramatic pre-dawn March 1 raid that netted Sheikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind of the September 11 terror attacks and the attacks' financier, Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi.

The capture of Sheikh Mohammed, described by ISI as Al-Qaeda's "operational chief", is considered the biggest coup in the 18-month-old war on terrorism.

A "combination" of human and electronic intelligence led ISI and U.S. intelligence officers to pinpoint Sheikh Mohammed in a private home in Rawalpindi city near Islamabad where he and al-Hawsawi were captured, AFP reported.

U.S. electronic surveillance of telephone calls was one factor, but it was backed up by human intelligence, the nature of which could not be revealed.

The raid and capture was led "purely by ISI" the official said. However another official has told AFP that the CIA operatives were stationed outside the house during the raid.

The video of the raid showed some ISI agents scaling the garden wall of the house, others breaking open an iron gate, others bursting into the house and arresting an unidentified bearded man.

It also shows the arrest of a man whom the ISI officials identified as Al-Hawsawi. His face was not shown, nor was the actual capture of Sheikh Mohammed.

"We almost recovered a full vehicle load of evidence from this house, which we are in the process of exploiting."

Items such as computer discs had been handed over to U.S. intelligence agents for analysis, while the ISI held on to documents.

As a result of intelligence gathered, they believed they were significantly closer to catching bin Laden, who has eluded a massive manhunt for 18 months.

"From our intelligence gathering we feel that he is alive," an ISI official said.

Sheikh Mohammed was handed over to American agencies for interrogation immediately after his capture.

For the first two days Sheikh Mohammed was suffering a high fever and revealed nothing except his identity, the ISI official said.

A grainy black and white video showed Sheikh Mohammed wrapped in a blanket sitting at a table opposite an unidentified interrogator in a bare room. The dialogue was inaudible.

Sheikh Mohammed Claims

Senior members of Pakistan's ISI agency say that Sheikh Mohammed did claim to have met Bin Laden.

The information comes as questioning continues in Pakistan of an Iraqi and two Afghans suspected of having links to Bin Laden's network, according to BBC online news service.

There have also been reports that Bin Laden's sons had also been detained at the end of last week, but U.S. and Pakistani officials have denied these.

But the officials - whose agency questioned the suspect before he was handed over to U.S. authorities - say they are not convinced by Sheikh Mohammed's statements.

But the intelligence services cautioned that the suspect refused to say where the meeting took place.

One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said of Sheikh Mohammed: "He confirmed he met [Bin Laden] in December.

"I don't believe him unless he tells us the locations and gives us witnesses."

There have been further reports of increased operations by Pakistani and U.S. forces on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border amid tightened security measures.

But a U.S. military spokesman said operations along Afghanistan's eastern border were "nothing special".