DUSHANBE, October 2, Asia-Plus - By president’s decree an autumn conscription campaign started in Tajikistan yesterday. The same decree provides for the retirement from active duty of soldiers and sergeants whose service under conscription is over. 

Young Tajiks are drafted into the country’s armed forces from October through November 2006, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.

A source in the MoD said 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.  “Taking into consideration the specific character of service in the border troops, the Ministry of Defense is to select conscripts for serving in the border troops in cooperation with the security and interior bodies immediately,” said the source. “The Ministry of Health is tasked to provide specialists from medical facilities of Dushanbe to make medical examination of conscripts for the districts subordinate to the center.” 

In the meantime, a number of conscripts called up for military service is kept secret.

The spring conscription campaign was fulfilled completely and no complains have been lodged by conscripts and relatives so far, according to the source.