Published: TUESDAY August 18, 2026: 'PEACE SHADOWS: PKK Disarmament Deal' by ZUMA Press award winning photo-journalist Moe Zoyari: Turkey's parliament has passed a law establishing a legal framework for the disbandment of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a major step toward ending a decades-old conflict that has killed tens of thousands. The measure is the most concrete step taken by Ankara in the process since jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the group in February 2025 to disarm and disband. The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU, launched its insurgency in 1984. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a heavy economic burden on mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey and fueled decades of political division. While the pardon-like bill marks a major breakthrough, experts and political leaders warn that the agreement is currently stuck in an operational impasse. Welcome to 'PEACE SHADOWS: PKK Disarmament Deal'
© zReportage.com Issue #1051 Story of the Week: Published: TUESDAY August 18, 2026: 'PEACE SHADOWS: PKK Disarmament Deal' by ZUMA Press award winning photo-journalist Moe Zoyari: Turkey's parliament has passed a law establishing a legal framework for the disbandment of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK, a major step toward ending a decades-old conflict that has killed tens of thousands. The measure is the most concrete step taken by Ankara in the process since jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the group in February 2025 to disarm and disband. The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU, launched its insurgency in 1984. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a heavy economic burden on mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey and fueled decades of political division. While the pardon-like bill marks a major breakthrough, experts and political leaders warn that the agreement is currently stuck in an operational impasse. Welcome to 'PEACE SHADOWS: PKK Disarmament Deal'
A Peshmerga female soldier in military camouflage stands guard just outside of Erbil. Specialized all-female units train at regional centers near Erbil and take on duties protecting government infrastructure, facilities, and checkpoints.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
A Kurdish soldier fires a rocket-propelled grenade during a training exercise as German coalition instructors look on in the outskirts of Erbil.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
A person in protective gear checks a target as Kurdish soldiers are trained by German soldiers in an outdoor training area just outside of Erbil. The city remains a key operational and training hub in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
German soldiers in desert camouflage observe Kurdish troops during a military exercise in the outskirts of Erbil. Kurdish Peshmerga and security forces continue to train and receive instruction at military facilities in and around Erbil, facilitated by international anti-ISIS coalition partners.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
A Kurdish border patrol agent smokes a cigarette at a check point outside of Erbil. Border security involves joint coordination between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and federal Iraqi forcesamid heightened security measures following recent cross-border drone and missile incidents.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
A Peshmerga female soldier in military camouflage stands guard just outside of Erbil. Female Peshmerga soldiers serve as security guards and protection forces in and around Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
A Peshmerga female soldier in military camouflage stands guard just outside of Erbil.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
A Kurdish soldier looks on during a training exercise with German coalition in the outskirts of Erbil.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
A family takes photos on the top of the historic Citadel overlooking the city in Erbil. The Erbil Citadel (Qalat) is an ancient fort that stands as one of the longest continuously inhabited sites on Earth, with 6,000 years of successive history. Perched on a massive, ovoid-shaped earthen mound it rises nearly 30 meters above the modern city center.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
Brides and grooms pose for a photographer in a park in Erbil. Marriages in Erbil are experiencing complex social strain, impacted by the regional economic crisis. While the number of couples getting married has risen, the capital is simultaneously facing a historic surge in family breakdowns and divorces.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
Children sell colorful balloons during a sandstorm in Erbil. Underage boys and girls work in bustling markets and Bazaar's, sometimes driven by poverty, displacement, or due to unemployed family members.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
Men examine weapons inside a gun shop lined with rifles and other firearms in Erbil in 2016. The law changed In 2022 when the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) banned open gun dealerships and closed public arms markets in Erbil to stop rising gun violence. Security forces actively crack down on illegal traders, though an underground black market and smuggling persist.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
A Kurdish street vendor sells dried fruits to customers at his stall in Erbil. Erbil province serves as a major agricultural hub in the Kurdistan Region, exporting roughly 3,000 tons of fresh fruits and vegetables daily to central and southern Iraq.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
Two children ride toy horses in a shopping mall in Erbil, Iraq. The Erbil economy is facing a severe structural crisis with consumers bearing the financial brunt of the ongoing budgetary gridlock and regional economic pressures.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
Men smoke hookah pipes and play dominoes in a market in Erbil.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
Costumers get haircut and facial mask in a barbershop in Erbil, Iraq.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
Men spend time in a traditional tea house in Erbil, Iraq. Traditional tea houses (chai khana) continue to thrive in Erbil, serving as vital cultural hubs near historic landmarks like the Erbil Citadel and the old bazaar.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
A car drives through a street during a blackout in Erbil, Iraq. Daily public electricity supply has dropped significantly down to about five to six hours a day in many areas, rolling back previous gains toward round-the-clock power.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
A plane flies over the city of Erbil in Iraq. Erbil is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth, with a history that stretches back over 6,000 years. Its strategic location on a fertile Mesopotamian plain made it a highly prized for the ancient world's greatest empires.
© Moe Zoyari/ZUMA Press Wire
