Moreover, observers have noticed the increasing targeting of facilities and workers in the oil and gas sector in Algeria

If that's really their strategy, they're doing a lousy job. I can't recall more than one or two attacks directed at the oil/gas industry (like this bus of workers) in the past few years. And for all I know, those were probably directed against foreigners qua infidel dogs, rather than specifically targeting the hydrocarbon sector. I think it's just too hard to seriously disrupt oil/gas sales from Algeria, since the state (true to bunker state form) is so extremely protective of them. Even during the 90s, there were just a handful of attacks on these installations, despite ample motivation. On the other hand, the Saharan AQIM wing seems better implanted now than anything that existed in the South back then, so maybe they could give it a shot.

Theoretically it's an interesting strategy (or was when announced, as oil prices were peaking), where Jihadis could score some symbolic victories. But I think it's more applicable to places like Iraq and Yemen, and perhaps for shock value in the Gulf states, than Algeria.

Yeah, I found that to be a queer observation, however that does not mean that there are not plots. But Sonatrach is far, far too important to the generals...

This is stating the obvious and trivial, isn't it? Of course bin Laden and Co would like to hit big oil export terminals; Mansfield Town would like to win the FA Cup. Obviously it's useful information to know this, but it's not new information or particularly secret or original, and it doesn't mean they are any closer to their goal. And, given that winning the FA Cup is difficult, it doesn't tell us much about what other goals they might pursue in the meantime.

But isn't that the thing? Bin Ladin is hiding in a cave or someone's basement, so all he can do is to send out video tapes with vague targeting instructions that his legions of devotees will hopefully put to good use. What other strategy can he have for the meantime? Telling everyone to hit their nearest oil installation at once, when prices were peaking, was about his best idea so far. Embarrassingly for him, and for Western proponents of this whole bin Ladin scare, nothing much happened when he did.

Personally, I think they should have kept up attacking airlines instead of trying to beat the US army or raze the global economy. The shoe bomber thing was a brilliant idea: if they could just pull off five or six of those in a year, which should be comparatively easy, it could have a real chilling effect on travel and tourism.