At least 16 Iraqi border guards were killed Monday in a dawn assault by the ISIL terrorist group on their post near the Syrian frontier, provincial and security officials said.

At least 16 Iraqi border guards were killed Monday in a dawn assault by the ISIL terrorist group on their post near the Syrian frontier, provincial and security officials said.

"Sixteen border guards, including a captain, were killed and four wounded in an attack targeting their headquarters in Al-Walid, near the Syrian border," Faleh al-Issawi, deputy head of Anbar provincial council, told AFP.

He said the attack occurred at around 6:00 am (0300 GMT).

A commander in the Iraqi border force and a police major confirmed the death toll.

The Al-Walid crossing is one of the country's most remote outposts and lies near the westernmost point in Anbar province where the borders of Iraq, Syria and Jordan meet.