THE main Muslim guerrilla group in Mindanao must hand over terrorists allegedly operating in its territory, or risk being listed as a terror organization by foreign governments, a terrorism expert said. Police and military intelligence say members of the Southeast Asian terror group, Jemaah Islamiyah, and the Philippine Muslim extremist group, Abu Sayyaf, are in areas controlled by Mindanao's main rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Zachary Abuza, a senior fellow of the US Institute of Peace, told the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines that about seven "hardcore first-generation leaders" of Jemaah Islamiyah who have trained with al-Qaeda were in Mindanao. "This is very troubling to me," he said. "I don't believe that they could be there without MILF support."Although the MILF has denied any links with either Jemaah Islamiyah or the Abu Sayyaf, Abuza said, the group has to take action against the terrorists to stay in the good graces of Manila and other governments. The group is in peace talks with the Philippine government to end its decades-long separatist insurgency. "Arrest them and turn them over," Abuza said. "They [MILF] are in total control of their territory. It's a matter of will." The MILF's reluctance to pursue terrorists on its territory "is getting completely untenable because at some point, governments are going to lose patience and the group (MILF) can potentially be put on the foreign terrorist organization list."