Vendors at a livestock market in Kabul were hoping for some good business yesterday as Afghanistan got ready to celebrate Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice.

Known as Hari Raya Haji in Singapore, the festival is the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year, the other being Eid al-Fitr.

Eid al-Adha is marked with prayers and the sacrificial slaughter of animals such as sheep and goats as a tribute to prophet Abraham's sacrifice of a lamb after God spared Ishmael, his son.

To mark the holiday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had announced a ceasefire with Taleban insurgents from yesterday, but only if the militants reciprocated. The gesture followed a violent week in the country that saw Taleban fighters carry out attacks in the central city of Ghazni and a northern province.

The Taleban did not immediately respond to Mr Ghani's proposal, reported Agence France-Presse.