Democratic Congressional Candidate Selden Spencer returned from a two-week trip to Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday with a lot on his mind.

Spencer, a Huxley neurologist running for the Iowa Congressional District 4 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, gained a wealth of experience practicing and teaching medicine in Afghanistan that will shape his stance on the role of the United States in the Middle East.

But perhaps his most valuable experiences had nothing to do with foreign policy.

During his visit to the ISU Democrats’ booth during ClubFest on Wednesday, Spencer described his experience with three children, siblings between the ages of 7 and 13, who were treated for severe burns at the clinic where he worked.

“The oldest child, who had been taking care of his younger siblings, died overnight,” he said.

“We didn’t know where the parents were, and we later found out they were dead.”

The death of the oldest child left the 7- and 9-year-old children truly orphaned, he said.

“The two youngest are going to be left to the mercy of the streets of Kabul,” Spencer said.

Episodes like this one offered Spencer a first-hand glimpse into the tumult of the Middle East and a greater understanding with which he can form his foreign policy platform, he said.

Spencer said he supports continued U.S. involvement in the Middle East but called for a reduced military presence coupled with increased economic efforts that would strengthen Afghan infrastructure.

“We have to engage on an economic level,” he said. “If we can help with electricity, education and health care, that’s what’s going to improve U.S. relations with the region.”

Spencer said a resurgence of Taliban activity in Afghanistan during the summer has forced citizens into a state of fear.

“The Taliban is all about intimidation,” Spencer said.

The Taliban, an extremist Islamic group that ruled Afghanistan before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, was driven out of power by coalition forces months after the attack.

Some of the Taliban’s influence, Spencer said, stems from its economic resources.

“A school teacher will earn $30 a month there,” he said, “but the Taliban pays you $75 [a month] to shoot rockets.”

Spencer said U.S. military involvement in the Middle East has been misguided and he supported a re-evaluation of the Bush administration’s goals, especially in Iraq.

“I’m not confident with the idea that we are there to establish a stabile democratic government in Iraq,” he said. “We should set up reasonable goals, achieve them and get out.”