DUSHANBE, November 21, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- This year’s autumn conscription campaign is expected to be completed ahead of schedule, Faridoun Mahmadaliyev, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD), said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to him, as of November 21, the autumn conscription campaign has reached 96 percent of the target, and in the territorial cross section the percentage the target reached were: Khatlon – 100; Sughd – 92; districts subordinate to the center (RRPs) – 95; Gorno Badakhshan – 87; and Dushanbe – 95.

The conscription campaign is expected to have been completed by November 25 or 26, the spokesman said.

The autumn conscription campaign is carried out from October through November, 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.

During the spring conscription campaign that was carried out this year from April 1 to June 15, more than 8,000 young men were called up for military service.