The U.S. military has withdrawn forces from a strategically located base in Syria, handing over control to forces aligned with the country's government, in the latest sign of growing ties between the White House and Damascus since the fall of longtime President Bashar al-Assad just over a year ago. The Agence-France Press first reported Wednesday that U.S. troops had departed from the Al-Tanf garrison in Syria's southwestern desert that borders Iraq and Jordan, citing Syrian security sources. A