Turkey's top military council decided on Thursday (July 28) to keep the head of the armed forces, General Hulusi Akar, in his post and made few changes to the top brass after this month's failed military coup, President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said.

The announcement to reporters, by spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, came a day after the military dishonourably discharged nearly 1,700 personnel for their alleged role in the July 15-16 putsch in which a faction of the armed forces tried to topple Erdogan.

The meeting of Turkey's Supreme Military Council (YAS) which lasted five hours was chaired by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

After the meeting, Erdogan approved the council's decisions to keep armed forces chief Hulusi Akar and the army, navy and air force commanders in their posts, making few changes to the top brass, Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters.

Erdogan, who narrowly escaped capture and possible death on the night of the coup, told Reuters in an interview last week that the military, NATO'S second biggest, needed "fresh blood". The dishonourable discharges included around 40 percent of Turkey's admirals and generals.

Turkey accuses U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the coup and has suspended or placed under investigation tens of thousands of his suspected followers, including soldiers, judges and academics.

Gulen has condemned the coup and denies any involvement.