That's according to The New York Times, which quotes unnamed Afghan officials with knowledge of the talks as describing how, in at least one case, Taliban leaders crossed the border and boarded a NATO aircraft bound for Kabul.
Gemunu Amarasinghe, AP
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, center, prayed recently with members of Afghanistan's peace council, which is looking for an end to the war.
In other cases, NATO troops secured roads to allow Taliban convoys free passage into Afghan and NATO-controlled zones. Militant leaders were reportedly given explicit assurances that they wouldn't be attacked or arrested by U.S. troops.
Some of the discussions have included members of the Haqqani network, an al-Qaida-linked group blamed for attacks on U.S. troops and Afghan soldiers and civilians. The talks also appear to be excluding Pakistani officials, whom Karzai fears will try to exercise too much influence once NATO troops withdraw.
The once-secret talks are aimed at negotiating an end to the nine-year-old war in Afghanistan. Their existence has been reported before, but the extent of NATO troops' participation, as well as the inclusion of high-profile militant leaders like Haqqani operatives, was not publicly known.
Read more at The New York Times.