The killings had come a month and half after the tragedy at Muttur inTrincomalee district. Amidst ground fighting between the LTTE and governmentforces to control the town and its surrounding areas, at least 10 displacedMuslim civilians, who had sought refuge in the Arabic College in Muttur, werekilled and several others sustained shrapnel injuries when LTTE shelled the campon August 3. On this occasion too, the pro-LTTE website Tamil Net had allegedthat the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was responsible for the killings. A day later, onAugust 4, 17 aid workers attached to the French Aid agency, Action againstHunger were executed with bullets to their heads. On the same day, the LTTEkilled over 100 Muslims, including women and children, after accusing them ofcollaborating with the Security Forces (SFs). The victims had been interceptedby the LTTE cadres at Pachchanoor, while fleeing Muttur. The LTTE, however, onAugust 6 denied the charges. "There is no massacre as alleged by the SriLankan government", the head of the LTTE peace secretariat, S. Puleedevansaid, adding, "We have not killed any civilians. In fact, we gave them noticeto quit the area before we launched our operation." The InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross (ICRC)’s search for the bodies lasted only one houron August 16 following the LTTE’s threat to "shoot any one who dared toapproach the forest".