Islamabad, Feb 4 (IANS): Four terrorists and two soldiers were killed during a security operation in Pakistan's North Waziristan, the military said.

In a statement early Thursday morning, the army's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, said that four soldiers were also injured in the exchange of fire on Wednesday night in in Mir Ali town that borders Afghanistan.

The security forces had observed presence of terrorists in a compound in Mir Ali, it said.

"As soon as the troops cordoned off the area, terrorists opened fire. During intense exchange of fire, four terrorists were killed," the statement said.

According to the statement, the dead terrorists were involved in kidnapping for ransom, extortion, fire raids on security forces and improvised explosive device explosions.

The Pakistani military has conducted a series of operations against terrorist groups, including the Taliban, in North Waziristan over recent years.

Although the area has mostly been pacified, remnants of the terrorist groups still manage to launch attacks on the security forces.