( CNN ) -- The assistant coach of Togo 's national soccer team is among the victims of Friday 's machine-gun attack on a bus carrying the squad to a tournament in Angola , the country 's official news agency reported Saturday . As many as three people were killed and nine injured in the strike , which prompted the team to decide Saturday to pull out of the Africa Cup of Nations tourney . Angola 's official ANGOP news agency reported that assistant coach Hamelet Abulo and a Togolese journalist died Saturday . There were conflicting reports about the driver of the bus . Fraser Lamond -- regional medical director of SOS International , a group that transports injured people to hospitals -- said the driver was among the dead , but Togo government officials indicated he was still alive . Lamond said a third wounded person was being evacuated to Johannesburg , South Africa , for treatment . ANGOP reported that goalkeeper Kodjovi Kadja , was sent to South Africa for an injury to his back . It was unclear whether Lamond and ANGOP were referring to the same person . The team was headed to Angola for the tournament when it was attacked near the border between Angola and the Republic of Congo . An armed wing of a separatist group -- the Forces for Liberation of the State of Cabinda ( FLEC ) -- has claimed responsibility for the attack and has threatened to strike again . CNN can not independently verify the claim . Emmanuel Adebayor , the Togo team 's captain and a star for England 's Manchester City team , said he and his teammates met Saturday morning `` before deciding that they wished to pull out of the tournament , '' the Manchester City Football Club Web site said . He was not injured in the attack , Manchester City said . `` It 's as if we 've gone to war , '' said goalkeeper Kossi Agassa . `` It 's deplorable for Africa . I do n't know what other countries will decide , but it 's hard . Too hard for us footballers . '' Angolan officials -- trying to assuage security fears that could dampen the war-torn nation 's sporting aspirations -- vowed to heighten security , particularly in Cabinda , a disputed oil-rich enclave located within the Democratic Republic of Congo and the site of eight matches in the tournament . Togo had been scheduled to play Ghana on Monday in Cabinda . `` We vehemently condemn the ignoble action , lament the loss of lives , and we reiterate our commitment to guarantee security so that the CAN ORANGE 2010 ( tournament ) will firm itself as a great sporting event and a manifestation of friendship and solidarity among the African people , '' an Angolan government statement said . Arriving Saturday with a high-level delegation to Cabinda , Angola 's Prime Minister Antonio Paulo Cassoma insisted his government provided proper security . `` Security was guaranteed . Nevertheless ... we will provide more security and protection to the delegations , '' Cassoma told Angola 's TPA Television . Leaders of the Confederation of African Football were expected to meet Saturday with Cassoma `` to take decisions to guarantee the smooth running of the competition , '' a statement on that organization 's Web site said . Host nation Angola is scheduled to kick off the tournament against Mali on Sunday in Luanda . The tournament -- one of the world 's biggest -- is Angola 's first major sporting event since a 2002 peace deal brought the southern African country 's decades-old civil war to an end . It also marks the beginning of a year in the spotlight for African football , with South Africa set to become the continent 's first country to host the FIFA World Cup in June . The Angola tournament has been eagerly anticipated as an early chance to assess the form of African powerhouses such as Drogba and Toure 's Ivory Coast , Essien 's Ghana and Eto ' o 's Cameroon ahead of the World Cup . Football world government body FIFA said it was `` deeply moved '' by the incident and expressed `` utmost sympathy '' with the Togolese players . It said it expected a full report from the CAF on the situation . Togo striker Thomas Dossevi , who plays for French team Nantes , told CNN `` armed rebels '' with AK-47s had opened fire . `` We were attacked by armed rebels who used Kalashnikovs . We had just passed the border and a couple of minutes later we were attacked from both sides . `` We hid below the seats -- we had police protection in front and behind but we were attacked from both sides . As soon as I heard the bullets I went to the floor . ... The attack lasted for 10-15 minutes , `` Dossevi said . Cabinda is located within the Democratic Republic of Congo . A strip of that nation separates it from Angola , one of the world 's largest energy producers and a major supplier of petroleum and liquefied natural gas to the U.S. market . Angola , which was wracked by civil war for nearly three decades , brokered a peace deal in 2006 with separatists seeking an independent republic of Cabinda . Togo is a strip of a nation that averages about 60 miles wide , nestled between Benin and Ghana in West Africa . It is smaller than the U.S. state of West Virginia .
NEW : This means the product will ship as received by the manufacturer, sealed, with all advertised components, and with the manufacturer warranty. Togo assistant coach Hamelet Abulo , Togolese journalist dead . Togo team pulls out of Cup of Nations , according captain Emmanuel Adebayor . Togo team bus was shot at by rebel fighters on way to tournament in Angola . African football body says tournament will go ahead despite the attack .