DUSHANBE, June 2, Asia-Plus  -- The spring conscription that usually ends on May 31 has been extended till June 15, according to the Ministry of Defense (MoD).

The source at a MoD said that the move has resulted from shortage of conscripts and the decision on extension of the conscription campaign has been coordinated with the head of state.  

            According to him, the spring conscription campaign has reached 99 percent of the target so far, and more than 8,000 young men have been conscripted.  “However, low results of the conscription campaign have been to be observed in all regions, especially in Gorno Badakhshan,” the source said, adding that military recruitment offices have not faced such problems for already many years.     

He also noted that to avoid serving in the army, many conscript-age young men seeks migrant in Russia.  

            The other reason for shortage of conscripts is inrush of internal migrants to Dushanbe.  “The capital is practically filled with young men from different regions of the country,” said the source.  “Many young men aged18 to 30 have arrived here in search of a living.  The majority of them does not work or study anywhere, deteriorating the crime situation in the city.”  

Moreover, many conscription-age young men have been found unfit for military service, the source said.   

We will recall that in early May, the MoD officials were more optimistic.  As of My 1, the spring conscription campaign has reached 55 percent of the target, and the MoD officials considered that a good result, especially with a month remaining in the campaign.    

The spring conscription campaign is carried out from April through May, and the draft affects able-bodied male citizens in the age bracket of 18 years old to 27 years old who are not members of the armed forces reserve.