Malaysia's army is on the lookout for members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group who might slip into the country after the death of its top leader Khaddafy Janjalani, a report said today.

"There is possibly going to be a spill-over of the Abu Sayyaf group but it should not happen," army field commander Lieutenant-General Masood Zainal Abidin told The Star newspaper.

"We're aware of it and we're taking care of the situation. Everything is under control," he reportedly said.

President Gloria Arroyo has pledged to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf and intensified military operations against the group which is responsible for bombings and mass kidnappings of foreigners and Christians.

The Philippines military this week said DNA testing had confirmed that Janjalani was killed in a clash with troops last year, triggering fears of revenge attacks.

The fighting is taking place in the southern Philippines island of Jolo, which lies close to Sabah.

Up to half a million Filipinos live in Malaysia, many of them families of refugees who fled the separatist rebellion in the Mindanao region of the southern Philippines in the 1970s.

The government in Manila has estimated that up to 200,000 Filipinos are living in Malaysia illegally, mostly in Sabah.