Three detainees held at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have  been transferred to Ireland and Yemen, the justice department has said.

Yemeni Alla Ali Bin Ali Ahmed was sent home, while two other detainees, whose identities were not released at the behest of the Irish government, were sent to Ireland on Saturday.

Ireland previously said it was looking at taking two Uzbek prisoners.

Earlier this week, the US said it had struck a deal with the tiny island nation of Palau to take in as many as 12 Chinese Uighur detainees, so far six have agreed to go.

Another four Uighurs have been moved to Bermuda.

There are still some 223 detainees at the prison. Some are expected to be transferred abroad while others could face charges in US military tribunals or in American courtrooms.

The US has worries about sending some of the prisoners back to their home countries where they might be persecuted.

Deadline unlikely

Barack Obama, the US president, pledged to close by mid-January 2010 the facility set up by the Bush administration in 2002 to hold people captured after US-led forces invaded Afghanistan.

But recent reports have suggested that the administration may not meet the deadline because of legal, political and diplomatic issues involving the detainees.

Many detainees, including Ahmed, have challenged their detention at Guantanamo in a US federal court.

So far 30 have won legal battles ordering their release while seven have been denied.