By Karam al-Masri and Khalil Ashawi
RAQQA/ Syria, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Syrian government troops tightened their grip on Monday across a swathe of northern and eastern territory abruptly abandoned the previous day by Kurdish forces, in a dramatic shift that consolidated President Ahmed al-Sharaa's rule.
After days of fighting with government forces, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), once the main U.S. allies in Syria, agreed on Sunday to withdraw from two Arab-majority provinces they had controlled for years, including oil fields.
