Before Turkey invaded, I said I hoped reporting would "pay close attention to [Turkish] force composition." That is b/c Turkey has been, for more than a year, using what used to be called the "Free Syrian Army," as well as mercenaries who were previously jihadists w/ Al Nusra. +
In part to tamp down negative domestic public sentiment in Turkey, these forces have been used as the 'sharp end of the spear' to mitigate Turkish regular forces' losses.
The "Turkish" forces in this video appear to me to be of this description. It in no way relieves Turkey of responsibility, of course, but points up the need to understand the players. Perhaps @RichardEngel can shed light on current force composition.
