One month after the withdrawal of the PLO fighters to Tunis, on September 16–18, 1982, a massacre occurred in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp in southern Beirut. This massacre was the work of the Phalange, a mostly Maronite Christian right-wing militia, which acted with the knowledge of allies in the Israel Defense Forces, including Ariel Sharon, in order to uproot residual PLO elements at a time when Israeli forces were poised to enter West Beirut. Stevens toured Sabra and Shatila immediately after the massacre; witnessed the Red Crescent's efforts to collect the dead bodies, some of which, she reported, showed evidence of rape and mutilation; and interviewed survivors.