ISIL Takfiri militants attacked an Iraqi border guard base near Jordan on Tuesday, killing at least nine people before being beaten back, officers said.

ISIL Takfiri militants attacked an Iraqi border guard base near Jordan on Tuesday, killing at least nine people before being beaten back, officers said.

The early morning attack involved heavy mortar fire and saw clashes between insurgents and border guards defending their position near Rutba, the last town on the desert road before the Trebil border crossing.

"Elements from the Daesh (ISI) gangs attacked the 2nd regiment of the border guard, which is located on the highway between Rutba and Trebil," a colonel in the border guard said.

"We clashed for several hours."

The Joint Operations Command which coordinates Iraq's fight against ISIL said nine people were killed -- eight members of the border guard and a civilian.

The colonel said 17 border guards were also wounded in the attack, which occurred in the westernmost part of Anbar province, some 450 kilometers (280 miles) from Baghdad.

"Several Daesh militants were also killed and they were forced to withdraw.  The base has remained under border guard control," the officer said.

"The 2nd regiment is under our control, they did not manage to take it, our troops fought back," said Major General Ammar al-Kubaysi, the border guard commander.

Rutba, a small town with significant strategic value given its location on the road to Jordan, was recaptured from ISIL in May this year.