Assad, minority groups in Syria have been targeted with violence. The US and other regional powers have largely stayed silent.

QAMISHLI, Syria, Jan 27 (Reuters) - With Syria's Islamist-led government bearing down on Kurdish forces, residents of their last major enclave are on alert, mindful of last year's violence against other minority groups and determined to preserve their self-rule.

The failure to support the U.S.-backed militia could create an opening for Islamic State, White House allies say.

A video of a Syrian fighter holding a braid he claims was taken from a Kurdish woman in Raqqa sparked outrage and protests as Damascus expands control amid a fragile ceasefire.

By Feras Dalatey, Maya Gebeily and Humeyra Pamuk DAMASCUS, Syria Jan 21 (Reuters) - The Syrian government's rapid takeover of territory long held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces took shape in a string of high-stakes meetings in Damascus,