Turkish defense ministry postpones military service

ANKARA

The Turkish defense ministry announced Friday that mandatory military service dispatches initially planned Nov 23 - 25 would be postponed until late December.

Military service will be conducted Dec. 22-24 as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Postponing of discharges are currently not on the agenda of the ministry, according to security sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of media restrictions.

The dispatch of those subjected to partially exempted paid military service Nov 19 - 21 will also not be postponed, said sources.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently announced a series of measures, including a partial weekend curfew, to stem the spread of the virus as numbers rise across Turkey.

Curfews and travel bans have are also been implemented across the globe in an attempt to halt the spread.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan