Tajik President Emomali Rahmon yesterday signed a decree on drafting young Tajiks into the country’s armed forces from April through May 2018, the Tajik president’s official website reports.   

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.

The same decree provides for the retirement from active duty of soldiers and sergeants whose service under conscription is over.

The Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population is tasked to provide specialists to make medical examination of conscripts in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), provinces, Dushanbe as well as cities and districts subordinate to the center.

 Heads of cities and districts are responsible for organization of the conscription campaign, the website says.

Young Tajiks can avoid or postpone military service if they are ill, studying at university, an only son, or if they have two children.

Tajikistan’s armed forces consist of Ground Forces, Mobile Forces (paratroopers of the armed forces of Tajikistan), Air Force and Air Defense Force.