Dushanbe has fulfilled its autumn military conscription target within the first 15 days of the campaign, the Payomi Dushanbe newspaper has reported. City authorities have not yet officially confirmed the information.
According to the Ministry of Defense, more than 40 cities and districts across Tajikistan had fulfilled their conscription targets by October 12. Nationwide, the plan was 84% complete at that point.
Which regions completed the target first?
The autumn conscription campaign began on October 1. On the first day, the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), the city of Bokhtar and the Tojikobod district reported completing their targets. GBAO reported 101% fulfilment, while Bokhtar and Tojikobod each reported 100%.
Several other areas, including Vakhsh district and a number of districts in the Rasht Valley, also reported completing their quotas early in the campaign.
Early fulfilment is not unusual in Tajikistan. During the autumn 2025 campaign, GBAO was again among the first to complete its target, reporting full fulfilment on the opening day.
Authorities have attributed the rapid recruitment to an increase in the number of volunteers, benefits available to conscripts and public information campaigns promoting military service.
Some experts, however, link the accelerated pace to amendments to Tajikistan’s military service legislation, which they say allow conscription campaigns to be conducted throughout the year.
Who is subject to conscription?
The autumn conscription campaign runs from October 1 through November. Under a presidential decree, able-bodied men aged 18 to 27 who are not in the military reserve are subject to compulsory military service.
The decree also provides for the discharge of soldiers and sergeants whose mandatory service has ended.
Tajikistan conducts conscription campaigns twice a year, in spring and autumn. Compulsory military service generally lasts two years.
Certain categories of young men may qualify for exemption or deferment, including those with health conditions, university students, only sons in their families and men with two children.
The country’s annual conscription target is generally estimated at around 15,000–16,000 men.
Alternatives to regular military service
Amendments to Tajikistan’s military service legislation that took effect in February 2021 introduced an option allowing eligible young men to pay a state fee instead of completing regular military service. Those who use this option must undergo one month of basic reserve training before receiving military identification cards.
Under the revised law on universal military service, university graduates who completed studies at military departments may also be called up for one year of service.
Military service is also a requirement for certain career paths: only those who have completed military service are eligible for government employment or professional service in the armed forces.