Dublin  - Ireland is to take in two detainees from the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, officials in Dublin said Wednesday.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern confirmed the decision in a meeting with US Ambassador Dan Rooney, according to media reports.

The two detainees are due for release alongside other Guantanamo inmates deemed to no longer pose a threat to security but unable to return to their countries of origin.

Although it has been reported that the two are from Uzbekistan, the Irish government has declined to provide further details, saying only the men were not being accepted as refugees.

Irish officials last week visited the facility on the US Navy base on Cuba where the two have been held for a number of years. They are expected to be transferred to Ireland in a few months.

US President Barack Obama plans to close Guantanamo, where around 230 inmates are being held, by January but has struggled to find other countries willing to resettle those due for release from the facility.(dpa)