A Turkish army faction that dramatically tried to topple the government has been met with strong resistance from the public and the rest of the army.
Rebel soldiers attempted to use tanks, fighter jets and attack helicopters to overthrow the government overnight on Friday, killing civilians and other members of the army.
Live footage later showed dozens of soldiers involved in the coup surrendering in various parts of the country, abandoning their tanks with their hands raised in the air.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the insurrection "a stain in the history of democracy" at a news conference on Saturday in Ankara. He raised the death toll in the clashes to 265, at least 47 of which were civilians. Another 1,440 people wounded and 2,839 military personnel had been detained, he said.
President Recep tayyip Erdogan sent a mobile phone text message to the public for them to take to the streets against the coup plotters.
There were reports of citizens killing soldiers in various cities in Turkey after people took to the streets.
The government blamed the attempted coup on backers of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who the president has long accused of attempting to use his followers in Turkey's judiciary and military to overthrow the government.
Al Jazeera asked Turkish citizens about their views on the coup attempt and their expectations for the future.
It is inspiring to see a nation hittting the streets against army members who try to form a military dictatorship, just like they did against political tyranny in Gezi protests [massive anti-government protests of 2013] three years ago.
Regarding any possible political developments in the country, my two biggest fears are military law and Sharia law. And yesterday a coup attemp driven by an Islamic cleric has been abolished by the will of people and the political leaders they elected. It was touching to see MPs of different political parties united in the parliament especially in a country so deeply divided in the political scene.
Meanwhile, some political sceptics around me express their concerns on the truth behind the coup attempt, believing this is a staged play to start a witch-hunt against Erdogan's rivals. Prior to the attempt, a major topic of discussion in Turksh politics was a possible change towards a presidential system from the current parliament system. I believe this attempt will play into the hands of Erdogan. He is a master of populist rhetoric and he will use this failed attempt to his advantage.
I don't know what to think about such a coup attempt, an action so obvious to fail. It doesn't seem like it is an act, but it doesn't seem real at all either.
There are people who see what happened as a gain, or express gratification over it. However, the situation is getting worse each day for people who have no chance to expect a better future either from the powers backing the coup or the ones against it. I feel no hope for the country after seeing people indiscriminately lynching low – level soldiers who don't know anything about what is going on – and then continue with their lives normally in the morning.
It is obvious where the country is heading after Recep Tayyip Erdogan changes the system of the country to a presidential system. And it will be the time for people like us leave this country and live somewhere else.
I am still in shock. I cannot believe this is happening in 2016. I am following the news on TV and internet simultaneously to grasp what it really going on.
On the internet there is news about soliders being beaten, killed and thrown off the Bosphorus Bridge, but there is news about that on TV. I also found it dangerous to call people into streets. We have to be calm and stay unified. Let the officials handle things. I'm very stressed. I hope everything calms down soon.
We spent the whole night trembling with terror, questioning our future in this country. However, in the morning, everything seems to be back to normal. It's as if we woke up from a nightmare.
In Turkey, fear for our lives as citizens is growing further and further, while we are losing the glimpses of hope for the country’s future. I have no trust in the institutions of Turkey. I don’t know what is going to happen next and my logic does not allow me to think of a way out for the country. We keep being terrorised by state institutions and security forces in Turkey.
We don't know who carried out the coup and why the action has been carried out. Even this shows how uncertain Turkey's future and the climate we live in are.
The country is open and vulnerable to provocations from inside and outside. And I don't think things will get any better before it gets far worse.
The government supporters were cutting the throats of low-level clueless soldiers last night in the name "democracy". They would do the same against a peaceful protest. Nobody is safe.
I hope this does not become the Reichstag fire (an incident that helped Nazi Party grab power in Germany) of Turkey.
It is impossible for a small faction in the Turkish army to overthrow the government in the year of 2016. There was no anarchy on the streets as in the previous coups happened in Turkey. Therefore, the public has no expectation for a coup to happen.
Turkey is a country integrated to global economy. There is no way a coup government can lead the country that is integrated with the global economy and international system.
The organisers of this coup have profoundly harmed Turkey. They have helped the government they were trying overthrow with this move. Now this authoritarian government will get even more authoritarian.
Follow Umut Uras on Twitter: @Um_Uras
