article: The handwritten notes of Samir al- Khlifawi explains in detail how ISIS were able to take control in Syria by infiltrating villages and using spies . The rapid growth and establishment of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been far from an accidental rise of religious fanaticism, but a calculated move orchestrated by one of Saddam Hussein's closest men. A cache of documents, including the blueprints for an ISIS secret service and instructions on how to infiltrate and take control of local villages have been discovered in Syria, Der Spiegel reveals. The handwritten charts and notes of Samir al-Khlifawi, a former Iraqi Army colonel better known by nom de guerre Haji Bakr, explains in detail how ISIS were able to take control in the area. Earlier this month, MailOnline reported that ISIS militants are being led by a highly secretive group of strategists and officials that were once senior figures in Saddam Hussein's army. Despite thousands of foreign fighters flocking to join the Sunni extremist group and starring in their propaganda videos, ISIS' leadership is dominated by ex-members of the late Iraqi dictator's military. Almost all of the regional commanders appointed by ISIS' leader and self-declared caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, played prominent roles in the Baathist army before the 2003 invasion of Iraq and became involved with ISIS either in the resulting insurgency or after the dictator's 2006 execution. Haji Bakr is widely considered to have been ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's closest advisor and the overall head of his military council until his execution at the hands of a rebel group known as the Syrian Martyr's Brigade in January 2014. The new documents detailing the plans to take over Syrian villages and establish the caliphate, seen by the German magazine, were found in Haji Bakr's former home in Tal Rifaat, north of Aleppo in Syria, after his death. The 'blueprints' outline exactly how the group intended to infiltrate villages and cities by recruiting young men as spies and establishing a 'Stasi-like' secret service for internal surveillance. Haji Bakr writes how the group would open a 'Dawah office', an Islamic missionary centre, which would be used as a cover to screen young men for potential suitability. One or two men, in their late teens or early 20s, would then be asked to spy on their village on behalf of what would then become the Islamic State. Militants: Almost all the highly secretive officials overseeing the day-to-day running of the Islamic State (pictured) are former members of Saddam Hussein's Baathist army . Close: Haji Bakr is widely considered to have been ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's closest advisor and the overall head of his military council until his execution  in January last year . One of the most prominent former Iraqi Army generals within ISIS was Abu Muslim al-Turkmani (left) who led the terrorists' operations in Iraq until he was killed in an American airstrike last November. Abu Ayman al-Iraqi (right), a former colonel in Iraqi Air Force intelligence now plays a leading role in ISIS' military council . Haji Bakr list specific information the 'spies' would be required to obtain, including; 'lists of the most powerful families, their source of income, size of rebel brigades and their leaders' and potential illegal activities and information which could be used for blackmail in the future. Haji Bakr also outlines that men loyal to ISIS would be selected to marry the daughters of the most influential families, in order to 'ensure penetration of these families without their knowledge,' Der Spiegel writes. Another document charts a command structure for an internal intelligence organisation, outlining who would spy on who 'in case they don't do their jobs well.' One former Syrian rebel who became an ISIS regional commander told the Washington Post that he found that almost all of the highly secretive officials overseeing all aspects to the terror group's day-to-day business were ex members of Hussein's Baathist army. As well as their extensive military expertise, another key element of the commanders' appointments has been the fact the ex-Baathists have extensive contacts among oil smugglers thanks to Hussein's efforts to avoid international sanctions in the 1990s. Crucially, oil smuggling is considered the most lucrative aspect of ISIS' £2 billion-a-year income. Influence: Despite thousands of foreign fighters flocking to join the Sunni extremist group and starring in their propaganda videos, ISIS' leadership is dominated by ex-members of the military of Saddam Hussein (pictured) Past: The process of giving former Iraqi commanders senior roles was started by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's predecessor Abu Omar al-Baghdadi (left) who was a former Iraqi Army officer and therefore more trusted than the Jordanian criminal, former gangster and ex-alcoholic who founded ISIS, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (right) The former Iraqi Army generals' connections with oil smugglers are crucial to ISIS' £2 billion-a-year income . Middle East analysts and experts believe one key reason why so many former Iraqi army commanders have joined ISIS is due to the de-Baathification law brought in L.­ Paul Bremer - the American who served as temporary head of the Iraqi state following the ousting of Hussein. The law effectively meant that 400,000 members of the defeated Iraqi army could no longer be employed in government roles and were barred from drawing their military pensions. Many of these highly-trained commanders joined the insurgency in the country in the mid-2000s, which was dominated by ISIS who at the time were known by the name Al Qaeda in Iraq. When al-Baghdadi took control of the group in 2010, many of these commanders were given prominent leadership roles in the hope they might win the support of the Sunni tribes who dominate Western Iraq and who have been largely ignored by the country's Shia-led Baghdad government. The process had, however been started by al-Baghdadi's predecessor Abu Omar al-Baghdadi who was himself a former Iraqi Army officer and therefore more trusted by the military than the Jordanian criminal, former gangster and ex-alcoholic who founded ISIS, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. One of the most prominent former Iraqi Army generals within ISIS was Fadel Ahmad Abdullah al-Hiyali, who used the code name Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, and was in charge of all the terrorists' operations in Iraq until he was killed in an American airstrike last November. He had previously been a colonel in military intelligence and served in Hussein's Republican Guard. Other senior figures include Abu Ali al-Anbari, who currently acts as Baghdadi's deputy leader in Syria and is a former military general in Hussein's Iraqi Army, and Abu Ayman al-Iraqi, a former colonel in Iraqi Air Force intelligence and now plays a leading role in ISIS' military council. Less prominent militants with an Iraqi Army backgrounds include Abu Ahmad al-Alwani - a former Baathist soldier and now an ISIS military council member, Abu Kassem - a former Iraqi officer and now in charge of ISIS suicide bombers and foreign fighters.
highlights: German magazine uncover 'blueprints for Islamic State' in Syria .
  Handwritten by former member of Saddam Hussein's Iraqi Army .
  Details 'Stasi-like' system of Islamic State leaders spying on each other .
  Outlines how ISIS would infiltrate villages through recruiting spies .
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