Ethnic Kurds, who make up the biggest ethnic minority group in Syria with a population of about two million, reside mostly in the eastern cities of Qamishli and Hasakah, in al-Hasakah province.<br /><br />Since the country's protest movement began 18 months ago, Kurds have established political and armed groups to assert control over their cities in their aspirations for independence.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reports on how the ethnic group is divided between supporters of the regime of Bashar al-Assad and backers of the opposition.
