Aylan Kurdi's relatives arrive in Canada

Mohammed Kurdi and his family - relatives of the Syrian boy whose body was found washed up on a Turkish beach - arrived in Canada on Monday.

"I'm happy, very happy," said Mohammed Kurdi, the uncle of Alan, as he was met by his sister Tima Kurdi.

Mohammed, his wife and their five children are among 25,000 Syrian refugees expected to arrive in Canada by the end of February under a government pledge issued by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party.

Canadian Immigration Minister John McCallum said last week that the government would likely not meet its target of receiving 10,000 Syrian refugees by January 1.

But Mohammed and his family's reunification - sponsored by his sister Tima - raised hopes of Canada's commitment to aiding those affected by the conflict in Syria.

"Thank you Canadian people. Thank you Prime Minister Trudeau for opening the door and showing the world how everyone should welcome refugees and save lives," Tima Kurdi said as she welcomed her brother and his family at one of the airport's arrival gates.

Deadly voyages

The photo of the young Aylan, reported to have been between two and three years of age, prompted global outrage over the plight of refugees and the inaction of Western countries to aid the crisis.

Aylan drowned, along with his mother and brother, when their boat capsized during an attempt to reach the Greek island of Kos from Turkey.

Hundreds have died in 2015 attempting the voyage as they seek asylum in the EU.

Aylan's father Abdullah Kurdi rejected relocation to Canada and currently resides in Iraq's Kurdistan region.

Since 2011, the Syrian conflict has displaced more than four million people in the country, according to UN figures.

ls/bk (AP, Reuters)