Insight - With Kunduz in crosshairs again, Afghan forces draw on past mistakes

Afghan security forces arrive for battle with the Taliban in Kunduz province, Afghanistan, April 16, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Bullet-ridden bunkers and signposts shredded by rockets bear witness to dozens of Taliban attacks this month on police posts around Kunduz, the northern Afghan city that fell briefly in September in the insurgents' biggest victory to date.

Unlike that short yet humiliating blow to Afghan security forces and the NATO troops deployed to support them, this time the main checkpoints held firm, in a sign that some lessons of the recent past have been learned.