Eight persons, including three Army soldiers and five militants, were killed in two fierce north Kashmir encounters on Tuesday.

A defence spokesperson told rediff.com that three Army soliders and three militants belonging to Lashkar-e-Tayiba were killed during a search operation in Lolab in the north Kupwara border district.

Two more militants of the LeT were killed in a gunbattle near the Line of Control at Gulmarg on Tuesday morning.