On Friday, during a visit to Parliament, Erdogan was welcomed by police officers instead of the presidential guard.
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Some members of the air force were involved in the coup attempt, during which Akar was held hostage.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said “Turkey will continue its campaign to defend democracy”, adding that military coups in Turkey have become a part of history, and that “Turks now bet on it in the streets and fields”.
The Armed Forces Chief of General Staff, General Hulusi Akar, described the renegade soldiers as “the vile, uniformed traitors (who) damaged our country, people and our armed forces in a major way”.
Also targeted in the sweep was an alleged senior aide to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen – the reclusive spiritual leader whom Turkey accuses of having orchestrated the plot to overthrow Erdogan.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a widespread crackdown following the attempted coup, arresting thousands of service personnel and sacking or suspending thousands of government officials, school teachers and university heads.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim will chair the council composed of ministers including justice, interior, finance, foreign, education, defense and labor, according to the decision published in Turkey’s official gazette.
President Erdogan says more than 13,000 people have been taken in custody since the failed uprising.
In his first decree Erdogan ordered the closure of thousands of private schools, charities and foundations with suspected links to Gulen, who denies involvement in the coup. “European countries apply the state of emergency in events with less importance compared to what lately happened in Turkey”, he said.
Ankara’s pressure on Washington to extradite Gulen has fueled speculation that USA access to the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, a key launching position for the US led coalition against ISIL in both Syria and Iraq, could be restricted.
The decree, which local media noted as being the first taken under the powers of the recently-declared state of emergency, also extends the legal time a person can be detained to 30 days.
“Turkey should completely be purified from the rule of the putsch”, said a “Taksim Declaration” issued by the CHP’s Kilicdaroglu.
Asked whether the abortive coup had derailed his plans to change the constitution and bolster his powers by making Turkey a full presidential system, he avoided a direct answer, but said a “more limited” package of constitutional amendments could be agreed with the opposition.
Turkey’s Supreme Military Council (YAS) will meet under Erdogan’s supervision on July 28.
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Erdogan also lashed out about concerns that the large-scale purges – which have left at least 10,000 people jailed and about 50,000 fired or suspended – could jeopardize basic freedoms.
