Tajikistan adopts law of military service, that 18 to 27 year-old men are compulsory to military conscription of two-year service. But most of young Tajiks prefer to stay out of the military. Conditions are rudimentary at many facilities, especially in the more isolated rural areas of the country. Pay is also an issue, with conscripts earn less than $2 a month. The Ministry of Defense, however, claims that from an available pool of 600,000 military-age men, only 100,000 are working abroad. A further 150,000 have temporary deferments. This leaves 350,000 men to fill 16,000 slots every year. Nevertheless, the armed forces still reportedly struggle to fill their quotas. The action of shanghaiing (“forced conscription”) is also reported to happen in the country.
Panjakent, Tajikistan, 2015