Turkey's Supreme Military Council met for four hours under the Prime Minister's watch on Thursday as a purge of thousands of soldiers, police and state employees continued following a failed coup.

Two of the country's most senior generals resigned from their posts shortly before the crucial meeting after almost 1,700 military personnel were dishonourably discharged for their alleged role in the attempt to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Binali Yildirim, the Prime Minister, and defence minister Fikri Isik were present at the summit for the first time as it took place under heightened security at Mr Yildirim's residence in Ankara, in a symbol of increasing government influence.

The soldiers who traditionally guard the meeting room were replaced by intelligence officers, while the airspace above Cankaya Palace was reportedly closed.

Turkey shakes up security forces after coup attempt

With the council holding responsibility for appointments and promotions, the meeting was expected to spearhead a major restructure of the Turkish military as efforts to eliminate suspected coup plotters and sympathisers continue.

Its decisions must be approved by President Erdogan, who pledged to overhaul the army last week amid criticism of his increasingly authoritarian style.

The cull of military personnel has so far included 149 generals and admirals, which would represents 40 per cent of all top-level Turkish military staff.

Authorities claim the failed coup on 15 July was staged by a military faction loyal to exiled Muslim cleric Fetullah Gulen, who lives in the US.

But the Gulen or “Hismet” movement denied involvement and the leaders of the coup said only that they wanted “to ensure and restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms” as battles ranged in Ankara.

Hundreds of soldiers armed with fighter jets, helicopters and tanks took control of key areas of the capital while Mr Erdogan was on holiday but were defeated after the President flew into Istanbul to make a defiant speech against an “act of treason and rebellion”.

Around 16,000 people have since been detained over suspected links to the failed uprising and tens of thousands of state employees including police, teachers and judges have been dismissed from their posts.

The former governor of Istanbul, Huseyin Avni Mutlu, and academics were among those arrested on Wednesday.

Arrest warrants were issued for 89 journalists and 131 media outlets have been shut down using powers under Turkey’s state of emergency, including news agencies, television channels, newspapers, magazines and publishers.

In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People demonstrate in front of the Republic Monument at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters

Among those singled out were columnists and other staff of the now defunct Zaman newspaper, which was seized in March over alleged links to the Gulen movement.

The list includes journalists known for leftist activism, such as Sahin Alpay, who do not share the religious worldview of the Gulenist movement, fuelling concerns over a “witch-hunt” of the president's political opponents.

Western governments and human rights groups have condemned the coup attempt, in which at least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured, and also expressed concern over the extent of the crackdown tightening Mr Erdogan’s grip on power.

Other than giving British citizens safety advice, UK leaders have made no official comment on the situation other than to reiterate support for the elected government.

The United States said it understood Turkey's need to hold perpetrators of the attempted coup to account, but said the detention of more journalists was part of a “troubling trend”.

John Kirby, a spokesperson for the State Department, repeated “unequivocal support” for the government but added: “We have urged President Erdogan to show restraint, to act within the rule of law, to avoid actions that would lead to further violence and instability.

“We obviously support bringing the perpetrators of the coup to justice and we also continue to stress the importance of upholding democratic principles and the rule of law through the process.”

He said Washington was concerned about press freedom in Turkey and identified a “troubling trend where official bodies ... are being used to discourage legitimate political discourse.”

American officials have not publicly responded to demands from the Turkish government to hand over Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania.

Civilians climb onto tanks after taking over military rebels' position on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul (AFP/Getty)

Political parties led by Mr Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are discussing plans to increase parliamentary control of a key state body that appoints judges and prosecutors as the crackdown continues.

Schools, charities, unions and hospitals have also been closed.

Amnesty International said human rights were “in peril” in Turkey and condemned the “swift and brutal” response enabled by the three-month state of emergency declared on 21 July.

The government is allowed to bypass parliament by ruling by decree during the period, with the ability restrict rights including freedom of assembly and enhanced powers of arrest and dismissal.

Amnesty International said there is credible evidence of detainees being subjected to beatings, torture and rape.

“This is the latest alarming development in what is increasingly becoming a brazen purge based on political affiliation,” said Gauri van Gulik, the group’s deputy director for Europe.

“By rounding up journalists the government is failing to make a distinction between criminal acts and legitimate criticism.

“Rather than stifling press freedom and intimidating journalists into silence it is vital that Turkish authorities allow the media to do their work and end this draconian clampdown on freedom of expression.”