KHUJAND/DUSHANBE, October 4, Asia-Plus – The first group of recruits from the northern province of Sughd will be sent for serving in military units in southern Tajikistan on October 5, the Sughd military garrison chief Azam Qosimov told journalists in Khujand.
According to him, under the exterritorial principle of formation of Tajikistan’s armed forces young men from Sughd will serve in Khatlon, Khorog and Dushanbe. “Only recruits who have been just married and have one children and recruits from vulnerable families will serve in Sughd,” the Sughd garrison chief said. Qosimov stressed that during the ongoing autumn conscription campaign more than 2,000 young men will be conscripted in northern Tajikistan.
In the meantime, Major-General Akbar Qayumov, the head of the organizational and mobile department of the Ministry of Defense (MoD), said that in all, not less than 6,000 young men of call-up age will be drafted in the country’s armed forces during the autumn conscription campaign. He added that during this year’s spring conscription campaign 8,000 young men had been conscripted.
Khatlon and districts subordinate to the center (RRP) have sent 200 conscripts for serving in the army each so far, Sughd more than 100 conscripts and Gorno Badakhshan some 11 percent of a total amount of conscripts in the region, according to Qayumov.
Asked about quality of contingent drafted into the army, Qayumov said, “Our resources allow carrying out proper selection.” At the same time, he noted that some 40 percent of young men of call-up age in the country have health problems.
