On November 12, 2015, Jihadi John–the public face of ISIS–was killed. This was a huge victory for the US army, as John was ISIS’s biggest symbol of intimidation.

Jihadi John, whose real name is Mohammed Emwazi, was used by ISIS to strike fear into the hearts of Americans. He gained notoriety in ISIS propaganda videos, in which he performed horrific beheadings of hostages that had attempted to help others in the Middle East.

While it seemed the US would no longer have to worry about Emwazi, who was killed by an attack from US drones while entering a car, as this event was initially a major boon for the US counter-terrorism effort, ISIS, however, quickly countered those efforts with its horrific attacks in Paris.

ISIS is still going to be powerful and destructive, but killing such an integral part of its growing legend was a step in the right direction for the US.