Truckers shift gears to outsmart bandits on deadly highways of Iraq

Sahir Kadairiyakam is about to begin the half-month race of his life. His goal: to deliver beef and vegetables to hungry US troops in Iraq. But to succeed, this soft-spoken, diminutive Indian will need to speed his 40-foot refrigerated truck along a dark and dusty highway littered with booby traps of boulders and highway bandits eager to loot his truck - or take his life.

India's government wants him to stop. His family wants him to stay safe. He just wants to get paid.

The risk for the truck drivers such as Mr. Kadairiyakam who negotiate a key supply line between Kuwait and US bases in Iraq has never been higher.

More than 70 foreigners have been taken hostage in Iraq since April. At least two have been executed in a bid to spur coalition members to withdraw from the war-torn country. And kidnappers have been emboldened since Filipino forces departed Iraq last month in exchange for abducted Filipino trucker Angelo de la Cruz. Despite the perils, Kadairiyakam says he must make the trip.

The US military estimates that 600 trucks carrying food, building materials, dry goods, and other supplies cross the border from Kuwait every day. It's crucial transport, and despite the recent spate of kidnappings, the flow of goods into Iraq continues at a steady pace, says Kadairiyakam.

His voyage began innocently enough. Hailing from Kerala in southern India, Kadairiyakam paid about $1,600 to a Kuwaiti recruiting firm for a job in this oil-rich emirate.

In January 2003, he came to work as a personal driver for a Kuwaiti family. But then Kuwait's transport industry boomed after the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. Many Kuwaiti companies - including Kadairiyakam's employer - rushed to grab a slice of the lucrative market. He bought a tractor-trailer and contracted Kadairiyakam out.

Starting in February, Kadairiyakam began working with the Public Warehousing Company. His job was to haul food like frozen meats, vegetables, and concentrated juices to US military bases in Iraq.

Because he moves supplies for KBR (formerly known as Kellogg, Brown and Root), a subsidiary of Texas-based Halliburton, Kadairiyakam's convoys are provided with US Army escorts. Even with the military backing, travelling to Iraq has become extremely dangerous in recent days.

The trouble began in April. Using a "Mad Max"-inspired attack scheme, road gangs began tipping massive stones into the middle of the highways in order to create havoc for speeding trucks. These "gangs" would then swarm the wrecked vehicles and loot them in a free-for-all snatch and grab. Dressed in traditional dishdashahs, the men are covered so that only their eyes are visible, a technique that further intimidates frightened drivers.

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