Adebayor looked on in horror as bullets riddled the bus in an attack that killed an assistant coach and the squad's spokesman and led Togo to pull out of the tournament in January.

The former Arsenal star later admitted he feared his life was about to end during the assault in the northern Angolan province of Cabinda and he has been unable to shake off the mental scars of the incident.

"Following the tragic events at the Nations Cup in which two of my fellow countrymen were killed by terrorists in Angola, I have made the very difficult decision to retire from international football," Adebayor told his club's website.

"I have weighed up my feelings in the weeks and months since the attack, and I am still haunted by the events which I witnessed on that horrible afternoon on the Togo team bus.

"We were just footballers going to play a football match and represent our country, yet we were attacked by people who wanted to kill us all. It is a moment I will never forget and one I never want to experience again."

The 26-year-old scored 16 goals in 38 appearances for Togo and helped his team reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany.