AAA Jan. 23, 2013 2:54 AM ET US begins transporting French troops to Mali AP French foreign legionnaires take position outside Marakala, central Mali, some 240kms (140 miles) from Bamako Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Malians hang on the back of a packed minibus as they drive to Marakala, central Mali, some 240kms (140 miles) from Bamako Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Italian Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paola, left, and Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi, report on the ongoing situation in Mali to the foreign and defense commissions of the Senate and the Lower Chamber, in the Mappamondo Hall of the Lower Chamber, in Rome, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino DJENNE, Mali (AP) - Pentagon officials say the U.S. airlift of French forces to Bamako could continue for another two weeks. It's expected to take about 30 C-17 flights to get everything there. The U.S. Air Force is keeping between eight and 10 people at the airport to help with the incoming and outgoing flights. These are the U.S. Air Force personnel who will stay only until the airlift is completed. The U.S. Air Force already has flown five C-17 flights into Bamako, delivering more than 80 French troops and 124 tons of equipment. The U.S. is not providing direct aid to the Malian military because the democratically elected government was overthrown last March in a coup. The French-led operation to oust Islamic extremists from northern Mali began Jan. 11.