Toma Tomas
ܬܐܘܡܐ ܬܐܘܡܐܣ
توما توماس

Toma Tomas in his seventies

Born| 1924

Alqosh, Iraq

Died| 15 October 1996 (aged 72)

Damascus, Syria

Nationality| Iraqi
Other names| Abu Joseph
Occupation| Guerilla leader
Known for| Guerilla leader
Political party| Iraqi Communist Party

Toma Tomas (Syriac: ܬܐܘܡܐ ܬܐܘܡܐܣ) (1924-1996), also known by his nom de guerre Abu Joseph, was a Chaldean politician and the leader of al-Ansar, a communist, Marxist–Leninist militia in Iraq which fought on behalf of the Iraqi Communist Party against the Iraqi government from the 1960s until the 1980s.

## Early life

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Toma Sadek Tomas Kaka, known as Toma Tomas, was an ethnic Chaldean born in Alqosh in 1924 to a Chaldean Catholic family. He witnessed the Simele massacre first-hand when Assyrians escaped the massacres to Alqosh. His father Sadek Tomas Kaka was one of the families who brought in Assyrians families into their homes and housed them and stood up in front with the other men from the village defending them and keeping them safe. This event was crucial in shaping his political ideas in the future.[1]

After finished elementary school in Alqosh, he moved to Mosul where he finished high school and joined the Assyrian Levies. Before leaving Alqosh he married Almas Zilfa. He later found his way to Kirkuk to work at an oil company. It was during his time in Kirkuk where he first learned about communism and joined the Iraqi Communist Party in the early 1950s.[2]

## Career and Struggle

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Toma Tomas with his eldest son Joseph at their home in Alqosh 1966.

He moved to his home town after the 14 July Revolution, which brought the Qasimists (who were allied with the Iraqi Communist Party) to power. The situation didn't last long however, the Arab nationalists revolted and the prime minister Abd al-Karim Qasim was executed. The communists where summarily executed and some led by Toma Tomas fled to the mountains of northern Iraq where they formed armed communist guerilla’s known as the Ansar and fought alongside the Kurds and Iraqi dissidents in their struggle against the central government.[3]

For almost 30 years Toma Tomas led the Ansari Peshmerga in many battles against the Iraqi army in the region stretching from the Turkish borders of Northern Iraq in the region of Behdinan to Tel Keppe to the south.[2]

## Death and Legacy

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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.[4]

In 2011, residents of Alqosh enacted a statue of Tomas in an official ceremony, where eulogies and poems were delivered in his honor.[5] The celebratory event was attended by Hamid Majid Mousa of the ICP and representatives of the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council, as well as townspeople and journalists. Tomas' legacy is remembered by various figures in the Assyrian community to this day, including singer Talal Graish, who dedicated a song to him on his 2008 album X Love.[6]

## References

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1. ^ "Papers of Toma Tomas". Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
2. ^ a b الأصيل توما توماس , لم يكن للكراهية مكانا في قلبه.[permanent dead link], NirgalGate (in Arabic)
3. ^ في الذكرى الثامنة لرحيل ( توما توماس - ابوجوزيف ) Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Ankawa.com (in Arabic)
4. ^ نقل رفاة البيشمركة الانصاري توما توماس لمسقط راسه بعد اكثر من عقد على وفاته Archived 2012-07-18 at archive.today, AKnews (in Arabic)
5. ^ "أهالي القوش يحتفلون بافتتاح متنزه يتوسطه تمثال للراحل توما توماس" [Alqosh residents celebrate the opening of a park featuring a statue of the late Toma Tomas]. Ishtar TV (in Arabic). 18 July 2011. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
6. ^ "X Love - Talal Graish". Qeenatha.com. Retrieved 2025-05-28.

## External links

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* Toma Tomas' diaries, Zahrira (in Arabic)
* Song dedicated to Tomas (29:37)