Afghanistan on Monday bid farewell to its first and only cosmonaut, Abdul Ahad Momand, whose body was returned from Germany and laid to rest in Kabul with full state honors.

Momand died on June 21 in Stuttgart, Germany, following a battle with cancer. He was 67 years old.

Funeral prayers were held at Kabul’s historic Eidgah Mosque, attended by his family, members of the public and senior officials of the Islamic Emirate.

Following the prayers, his body was taken to Maranjan Hill, where he was buried during an official ceremony honoring one of Afghanistan’s most celebrated national figures.

Officials paid tribute to Momand as a pioneering scientist and national hero, describing his achievements as a source of pride for Afghanistan and encouraging young Afghans to follow his example in the fields of science, education and exploration.

Momand made history on August 29, 1988, when he became the first – and to date the only – Afghan to travel into space. Selected from hundreds of candidates, the former Afghan Air Force pilot joined the then Soviet Intercosmos programme and launched aboard the Soyuz TM-6 spacecraft to the Mir space station alongside Soviet cosmonauts Vladimir Lyakhov and Valery Polyakov.

During the mission, Momand spent nearly nine days in orbit, conducting scientific experiments and Earth observation activities.

He also made history by speaking in Pashto from space during a live conversation with Afghanistan’s then-president, Mohammad Najibullah, becoming the first Afghan – and one of the first people – to use the language beyond Earth.

The mission nearly ended in tragedy when a malfunction delayed the Soyuz spacecraft’s return to Earth, leaving the crew stranded in orbit for an extra day while engineers worked to restore the landing system. The spacecraft eventually landed safely in Kazakhstan, and Momand returned to Kabul to a hero’s welcome.

Following his spaceflight, he served as Afghanistan’s deputy minister of civil aviation. However, after the collapse of the Soviet-backed government in 1992 and the outbreak of civil war, Momand left the country and eventually settled in Germany, where he lived with his family for more than three decades.

Although he built a new life abroad, Momand continued to express hope for Afghanistan’s future and remained an enduring symbol of what Afghans could achieve in science and technology.

His death has also renewed discussion about Afghanistan’s dormant space ambitions. Despite producing the country’s only cosmonaut, Afghanistan’s national space institute has remained largely inactive for years, with many observers calling for renewed investment in science, education and technological development to build on Momand’s historic legacy.

For many Afghans, Abdul Ahad Momand’s journey from a young boy fascinated by the skies to the nation’s first cosmonaut remains one of the country’s greatest scientific achievements and a lasting source of national pride.

Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Examinations on Monday announced the results of the 2026 Kankor (national university entrance) examination during a ceremony held at the Government Media and Information Center (GMIC).

According to the results, Rashid, son of Pahlawan, from Parwan province, secured first place after scoring a perfect 360 marks.

Enamullah, son of Shir Zaman, from Kunar province, ranked second with 358.0937 marks, while Abdul Hadi, son of Abdul Rahman, from Paktia province, claimed third place with 356.96791 marks.

Mohammad Ayman, son of Mohammad Bashir, from Maidan Wardak province, ranked fourth with 356.96790 marks, followed by Bismillah Jan, son of Mohammad Omar, also from Maidan Wardak, who secured fifth place with 356.8579 marks.

Among graduates of religious schools, Abdul Majid from Ghor province ranked first with 327.19 marks, Khalid from Badakhshan province placed second with 320 marks, and Hamed from Laghman province ranked third with 319 marks.

The General Directorate of Examinations said the 2026 Kankor was successfully conducted in four phases, with nearly 120,000 applicants participating nationwide. In line with the Ministry of Higher Education’s admission plan, 74,500 candidates will be admitted to public universities and higher education institutions across the country.

The directorate stated that the examination process was organized to ensure equal opportunities for all eligible candidates throughout Afghanistan. The first phase covered applicants from 15 provinces, the second phase included candidates from 18 provinces, the third phase was held for Grade 12 graduates in Kabul, while the fourth phase included candidates who missed previous rounds, graduates from abroad, graduates from tribal communities, religious school graduates in Kabul, and Grade 14 graduates.

Officials said all four phases were conducted in an organized manner with transparency, effective management, and without any reported problems. They added that the process was managed according to established standards, helping strengthen public confidence in the examination system.

The General Directorate of Examinations said the 2026 Kankor, one of the country’s most important academic examinations, was successfully held based on the principles of transparency, fair assessment, and effective management. With the announcement of the results, tens of thousands of young Afghans will now have the opportunity to continue their higher education in various academic fields.

During the ceremony, officials from various government institutions also praised the General Directorate of Examinations for effectively managing the process, congratulated the successful candidates, and urged them to make the best use of the opportunity to advance their education and serve the people and the country.

The HANA Human Rights Organization has expressed serious concern over what it describes as an increasing pattern of legal exclusion affecting Afghan migrants in Iran, particularly women and children who face growing obstacles in accessing civil registration and judicial protection.

In a detailed statement, the organization said many Afghan migrants struggle to obtain legal recognition of key personal-status matters, including marriage, divorce, birth registration, custody, inheritance, and maintenance claims. It warned that these issues have worsened following recent armed conflict, tighter security measures, disruption of public services, internet shutdowns, and increased administrative pressure.

HANA said the absence of an effective and accessible civil-registration system has left many Afghan migrants in a situation of “legal invisibility,” limiting their ability to prove family relations, access public services, and seek legal remedies.

The organization stressed that civil-status registration is essential for basic rights such as legal identity, family recognition, inheritance, and access to justice. It warned that failures in registration systems can lead to wider violations of civil, social, and economic rights.

According to the statement, Afghan women are particularly affected, especially in cases involving domestic violence, unregistered marriages, informal divorces, abandonment, or custody disputes, where access to courts and legal protection is often limited.

HANA also highlighted risks faced by Afghan children, including lack of birth registration and identity documents, which may result in denial of education, healthcare, and social protection, and increase vulnerability to child labour, exploitation, and early marriage.

The organization said these challenges raise concerns under Iranian domestic law and constitutional guarantees of access to justice and equality before the law, as well as Iran’s obligations under international human rights treaties, including protections for children and the right to legal identity.

HANA urged Iranian authorities to establish transparent civil-registration procedures for Afghan nationals, ensure equal access to courts regardless of migration status, protect migrant women and children from legal and social harm, and create emergency mechanisms during crises to maintain access to justice and essential services.

It also called for an end to practices that may lead to detention, deportation, or intimidation of migrants seeking legal or administrative assistance.

The group warned that the combined effect of administrative and security barriers risks creating a system of structural legal exclusion, preventing many Afghan migrants from securing basic rights and legal recognition in Iran.