(Reuters) -U.S. forces attacked a drug-smuggling vessel on Friday and killed three people, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday, alleging that the boat was affiliated to a Colombian guerrilla group.

"The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was traveling along a known narco-trafficking route, and was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics," he said in a post on X.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Nia Williams)