DAMASCUS: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced Sunday (Jan 18) an agreement with the chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, that includes a ceasefire after government forces advanced in Kurdish-held areas of the north and east. The United States, which for years has supported Syrian Kurdish fighters but is now also a key ally of Damascus, welcomed the deal, with envoy Tom Barrack calling it "a pivotal inflection point" and commending both sides' "constructive