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Halabja, Iraqi Kurdistan. June 1997..Mass graves. During the chemical gas bombing carried out by Saddam Hussein's airforce, more than 18.000 people were killed within minutes...Iraqi Kurdistan is in northern Iraq. The Kurds have been persecuted throughout their history and have suffered abuse in Iraq, Iran and Syria. These photographs were taken in 1997/1998at the end of the war between KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) and PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan). The reportage shows the situation of the country 10 years after Saddam Hussein bombed the area. The images depict a population tormented by land mines and show the work of international aid organisations like Gino Strada's Emergency. (KEYSTONE/NOOR/Francesco Zizola)