Udai Kazem is 19 years old and lives in Sadr City. He and Mohaned Mohsen were on a pilgrimmage to Karbala when they were abducted and tortured. The two managed to escape and flagged down a joint Iraqi-U.S. patrol, who transported them to a hospital.

As Shi'ites traveling through a Sunni-controlled area rife with violence against all outsiders, they are lucky to have survived.