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For first time in 16 years, Kuwait summons military conscripts

November 16, 2017 at 1:17 pm

Kuwaiti soldiers at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, march in formation on February 21, 2011 [Sgt. M. Benjamin Gable / US DoD]

The Kuwaiti Army yesterday summoned the first group of military conscripts and demanded they visit the National Military Service in the Mubarakiyah camps over the next week.

The army said in a statement that the drafters will have to complete their registration and medical examinations and receive instructions to perform national military service.

Kuwait Defence Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah, announced earlier that the National Military Service will receive the first batch of eligible drafters on 6 January 2018.

As many as 13,217 people registered for service on 10 May but the number continues to rise.

According to article 1 of the Kuwaiti Constitution, the National Military Service is obligatory for Kuwaiti males aged 18-35. The service duration is 12 months, including four months of training.

Kuwait is the 11th Arab state to reinstate mandatory military service after 16 years of cancelling it.

Read: Qatar opens military attaché office in Kuwait