NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Two army majors and nine militants were killed in a fierce overnight firefight that went on till early Wednesday in the Baramulla region of Jammu and Kashmir, United News of India said.

The agency said another militant was killed by Indian security forces in south Kashmir district of Pulwama on Wednesday.

Reports of the encounter came as Indian Home Shivraj Patil told the nation’s top police officers on Wednesday that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir “continues to show definite improvement”.

He however, cautioned: “There is no scope for complacency when infiltration across the border continues and terrorist incidents are still taking place.”

About India’s troubled north-eastern states, he said, the security situation in Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh had been comfortable. “However, continued violence in Assam and Manipur and persisting factional clashes in Nagaland are causes for concern.”

Mr Patil said development and strengthening of intelligence agencies should receive first priority in any plan for combating crime and terrorism.