Five policemen and three soldiers were killed when rebels ambushed a security patrol in Bara district, 150 km south-east of Kathmandu on Sunday, an army statement said.
And a police officer and a soldier were killed in another ambush in Solukhumbhu district, near Mount Everest. "Ten security personnel wounded in both incidents have been brought to Kathmandu for treatment," the statement said. Elsewhere, soldiers gunned down three guerrillas overnight in separate clashes.
King Gyanendra justified his February 1 power grab, in which he took over the country and arrested political leaders, as being necessary to crush the Maoists, who are battling to set up a communist republic.
His seizure of power sparked global condemnation and the suspension of vital military aid from India and Britain.
Sunday's killings came as buses returned on the roads and food supplies resumed after the guerrillas withdrew the blockade they called two weeks ago in protest at the seizure of power.
Rebel chief Prachanda called off the blockade on Saturday, saying he did not want people to suffer any more but threatened an indefinite strike next month if the king failed to backtrack.
"It is nice to have everything normal. Buses are running after 15 days, life is the same as before," said Arjun Adhikary, a company employee, from Nepalgunj, near the Maoist heartland in the west.
Rebels had set up mine-laden road blocks, dug ditches in the middle of highways, set vehicles on fire and killed a truck driver who defied their blockade.
The army said dozens of rebels and four security personnel had been killed in clashes last week as soldiers cleared barricades.
"We thank the rebels for withdrawing the blockade and urge them not to repeat any programme that hurts common people," human rights activist Malla K. Sundar said.
Analysts said the decision to end the blockade did not signal a softening of the rebels' stand, but was a tactical move since past strikes had made them unpopular.
"It is also a clever move on their part to assess how much strength they have gained or lost between two strikes," said Yubaraj Ghimire, editor of the widely read weekly, Samay.