Defense contractor KBR Inc. and a Jordanian subcontractor are accused of human trafficking in a federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles.

The suit alleges 12 Nepali men were being transported to Iraq against their will when they were killed in an insurgent attack.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday by an attack survivor and family members of victims claims subcontractor Daoud & Partners recruited the men in Nepal to work in hotels and restaurants in Jordan.

The company allegedly seized their passports when they arrived in Jordan in 2004 and had them sent to Iraq to work on a U.S. air base.

A KBR spokeswoman declined to comment, saying the company has not yet seen the lawsuit. A contact number for Daoud & Partners could not be immediately located.