Terror Strategist

++Probably the best writing on ISIS comes from Der Spiegel International's scoop on the secret files from ISIS. The article is found at Huffington Post and at Democratic Underground.

++Analysts have tried to understand ISIS as a terrorist group, a quasi-state or a millennial cult--all three apply. But the files Der Spiegel obtained reveal its inner organization and strategy. 

++The Mastermind was Haji Bakr or Semir Abd Muhammad al-Khlifani, a former intelligence officer in Saddam Hussein's air force. His past position also explains why Assad's air force don't hit ISIS positions but only those insurgents not identified with the group. Assad's air force brought into the fold Saddam's air force officers, who had been fired by Paul Bremmer. Their idea was to make Iraq hell for the United States. They were Rummy's dead-enders.

++But Haji Bakr was the architect of the Islamic State. Killed in an attack in January 2014 when other opposition forces found his house and found him in his pajamas. He had been staying with his wife in the small town of Tal Rifaat. The secret papers were found there also.

++If you want some idea of how Bakr's network was created,consult Kanan Makiya's State of Fear, which outlines how Saddam's intelligence forces inserted spies on every block in every neighborhood. What the average person didn't know, couldn't hurt them.

++In Bakr's model,missionary groups would be established in towns where ISIS had no presence and ISIS agents would develop files on each inhabitant with particularly focus on the wealthier Sunnis. ISIS members were then encouraged to marry the daughters of these wealthy people so as to gain leverage for blackmail against them and their community.

++Even foreign fighters from neighboring countries had profiles about what sports they liked, what criminal cases were against them, and what talent in things like bomb maker, they brought to the fight.

++Technocrats would brought into examine issues of governance, including credit unions and food programs.

++Sheik al Baghdadi ,the supposed head of ISIS,was a peripheral player in this. He could recruit from those  who had been imprisoned by the Americans, but crucial military decisions were made by Haji Bakr.

++Religiousity didn't really matter. That was for the public face. But every outrageous violent act was done with a very clear purpose in mind. One of which was to get Americans to react so that they would intervene. 

++Der Spiegel has given us the best journalistic writing on ISIS and how it is organized so far.