As tensions increased between the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan Army, small clashes took place near Allaipiddy.

[2] On the morning of 12 August 2006, LTTE cadres landed near Allaipiddy, prompting government forces to withdraw to the nearby Navy base.

However, the Army and the Navy kept firing indiscriminately on the area; and on the early morning of 13th August long range artillery shells from the army camps in Jaffna town and Palaly fell on the St. Philip Neri Church at 04:30 am, killing 20 Tamil civilians and injuring 54.

[4][1][5] The wounded civilians were prevented from being taken to the Jaffna Hospital for treatment by the hostile Navy at Allaipiddy junction but were allowed to proceed after pleading by the Catholic priest Fr.

Brown disappeared on his way to check on the church, suspected to be at the hands of local Navy men who had become suspicious of him following the shelling.