An Algerian official says that the country's security forces will take over the job of securing the country's oil and gas sites following a spectacular terrorist attack and mass hostage-taking on a gas installation in January.

An inquiry into the Ain Amenas plant assault blasted private companies currently responsible for site security in Algeria's energy sectors for failing to prevent it, according to an Interior Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The official said the inquiry found that the site's infrastructure "was not capable of either preventing this terrorist attack and even less so repelling it."

In all, 37 hostages, including an Algerian security guard, and 29 attackers were killed in a four-day standoff.