In Turkey during the Kosovo war there was a sense of historic responsibility to assist Kosovan Albanians due to them being Muslims and former "loyal" Ottoman citizens.[29][2] The Turkish population was concerned over events in Kosovo and due to historical, cultural, religious and other ties to the Balkans supported their government's anti-Serb and pro-NATO position.[29] Though expressing hesitation about a ground offensive, NATO member Turkey strongly supported and was involved in the bombing campaign against Yugoslavia supplying eighteen fighter jets.[3][29][30][32]