Also - I was there when the tribes first approached us in 2004 - many saw where things were going, and wanted to provide security for themselves. If we knew so much about tribes then, as some of those who post here claim, then why didn't we help those tribe leaders that were, at that time, most clearly expressing that their true interests were in alignment with our own.

It's because we couldn't perceive what their interests were in the first place because we were clueless about the intertribal and intratribal alliances and disputes, and we had no idea what the concept of nobility is Islam, and apparently we still don't.
I'm trying to understand this statement, as I was there in 2004 too, and probably reviewing intelligence developed through means you probably supported. Do you have any references that address this issue?

Who was approaching us, and what were there issues, concerns, or requests? What sort of branch did they extend?

There was a lot going on in 2004, predominantly a lot of heavy fighting that carried on into 2005, and since I was there too, I ask from an academic and historical perspective.