ISLAMABAD, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Pakistan said on Thursday three of its soldiers and five Indian troops were killed in a cross-border exchange of fire in the contested Kashmir region, one of the deadliest clashes between the rival armies this year.

Indian forces have increased firing along the contested border known as the Line of Control (LOC), Major General Asif Ghafoor, the chief spokesman of the Pakistan armed forces, said in a tweet.

"Intermittent exchange of fire continues," Ghafoor tweeted.

A spokesman for the Indian army could not be immediately reached for comment.

The deaths come during a period of heightened tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours after India revoked special status for the portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir it controls, angering Pakistan which also has claims on the region. (Reporting by Alasdair Pal; editing by Darren Schuettler)