Toma Tomas ( syr, ܬܐܘܡܐ ܬܐܘܡܐܣ) (1924-1996) also known by his nom de guerre Abu Joseph, was an

Assyrian Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyrian ...

politician and the leader of anti-government

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

militias (''al-Ansar'') in northern Iraq during the 1960s and 1970s.

Early life

Toma Tomas was an ethnic

born in

Alqosh Alqosh ( syr, ܐܲܠܩܘܿܫ, Judeo-Aramaic: אלקוש, ar, ألقوش, alternatively spelled Alkosh or Alqush) is a town in the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq, a sub-district of the Tel Kaif District and is situated 45 km north of the ...

, in 1924, he was an adherent to the

Chaldean Catholic Church , native_name_lang = syc , image = Assyrian Church.png , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows Baghdad, Iraq , abbreviation = , type ...

. He witnessed the

Simele massacre The Simele massacre, also known as the Assyrian affair, was committed by the Kingdom of Iraq, led by Bakr Sidqi, during a campaign systematically targeting the Assyrians in and around Simele in August 1933. An estimated 600 to 6,000 Assyrians ...

first-hand when Assyrians escaped the massacres to Alqosh. This event was crucial in shaping his political ideas in the future. After finished elementary school in

, he moved to

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...

where he finished high school and joined the

Assyrian levies The Assyrian Levies (also known as the Iraq Levies) were the first Iraqi military force established by the British in British controlled Iraq. The Iraq Levies originated in a local Arab armed scout force raised during the First World War. After I ...

. He later found his way to

Kirkuk Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...

to work at an oil company. There he joined the

Iraqi Communist Party The Iraqi Communist Party ( ar, الحزب الشيوعي العراقي '; ku, Partiya Komunista Iraqê حزبی شیوعی عێراق) is a communist party and the oldest active party in Iraq. Since its foundation in 1934, it has dominated the ...

in the early 1950s.الأصيل توما توماس , لم يكن للكراهية مكانا في قلبه.
NirgalGate

Struggle against the central government

He moved to his home town after the 1958

14 July Revolution The 14 July Revolution, also known as the 1958 Iraqi coup d'état, took place on 14 July 1958 in Iraq, and resulted in the overthrow of the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq that had been established by Faisal I of Iraq, King Faisal I in 1921 under the ...

which brought the communists to power. The situation didn't last long however, the Arab nationalists revolted and the prime minister

Abd al-Karim Qasim Abd al-Karim Qasim Muhammad Bakr al-Fadhli al-Zubaidi ( ar, عبد الكريم قاسم ' ) (21 November 1914 – 9 February 1963) was an Iraqi Army brigadier and nationalist who came to power when the Iraqi monarchy was overthrown ...

was executed. The communists where summarily executed and some headed by Toma Tomas fled to the mountains of north of Iraq where they formed armed guerilla’s known as the Ansar and joined the Kurds in their struggle against the central government. For almost 30 years Toma Tomas led the ''Ansar'' in many battles against the Iraqi army in the region stretching from the Turkish borders to

Telkepe Tel Keppe ( syr, ܬܸܠ ܟܹܐܦܹܐ ', ar, تل كيف ', alternatively spelled Tel Kaif or Telkef) is an Assyrian town in northern Iraq. It is located in the Nineveh Governorate, less than 8 mi (13 km) northeast of Mosul.Welcome to Te ...

to the south.

Death

He died in Syria on 15 October 1996 and was buried at the Chaldean cemetery in Nohadra. His remains were reburied in his home town Alqosh in 2010.نقل رفاة البيشمركة الانصاري توما توماس لمسقط راسه بعد اكثر من عقد على وفاته
, AKnews

References

External links

Toma Tomas' diaries
Zahrira {{DEFAULTSORT:Tomas, Toma Iraqi guerrillas Iraqi politicians 1924 births 1996 deaths Iraqi Communist Party politicians People from Alqosh Chaldean Catholics Iraqi revolutionaries Iraqi prisoners sentenced to death