As Muslims around the world prepare to celebrate Eid al-Adha, many Afghanis are struggling to afford basic necessities amid a deepening economic crisis and Western sanctions.
Muted Eid Celebrations In Afghanistan As Economic Crisis Worsens
An Afghan boy stands besides a scale while waiting for customers at an underground passageway in Kabul on June 27.
Traders in Afghanistan are struggling with sales as the three-day Muslim festival Eid al-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, begins on June 28.
An Afghan blacksmith sharpens knives to be used for sacrificing animals in the eastern city of Jalalabad.
During the festival -- one of the most important in the the Muslim calendar -- animals are sacrificed after worshippers attend Eid prayers to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of supplication to God.
A man rests next to his goat as he waits for customers at a livestock market.
The meat from sacrificed animals is shared in three equal parts among family, friends, and the poor in a message of piety and charity.
People throng a market in Kandahar ahead of the festival of Eid-al Adha.
Decades of conflict, natural disasters, and economic challenges have fueled poverty across all segments of society as people struggle to earn a living.
A vendor selling chickpeas takes a tea break while waiting for customers in Kabul.
The devastating economic troubles have left many households struggling to buy items needed for Eid celebrations.
A goat herder moves his livestock toward a market on the outskirts of Kabul in preparation for Eid al-Adha.
“The prices are high this year, people are jobless, people are poor and needy,” said Mohammad Saber, an animal seller interviewed by AP.
A worker prepares cakes in Kandahar.
On average 90 percent of household income in Afghanistan is spent on food.
Traders wait for customers in Kabul.
Those affected the worst are children, the elderly, people with physical disabilities, and daily wage workers.
Ragpickers besides a stream along the Kabul River in Kabul.
Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the country has been gripped by an economic meltdown. Around half of Afghanistan's 40 million people are "acutely food insecure," according to the UN, with 6 million on the brink of starvation.