"As an England cricketer the Ashes are the pinnacle of the game so I’m absolutely devastated to be missing the rest of this series," Kevin Pietersen said.
"Up until now the Achilles injury has been manageable but it recently reached the point where we needed to look at other options in terms of treatment.
"I hate missing matches for England and especially during an Ashes summer but now that the decision has been made to undergo surgery, I’m confident I can return to the England team injury-free following a course of rehabilitation."
"I was pleased with the previous course of treatment as it allowed me to take part in this Ashes series but unfortunately the injury has recently deteriorated," Pietersen said.
"To leave a winning dressing room at this time is heartbreaking but it wouldn’t be fair to the team or myself to continue given the severity of the injury.
"I’ll be supporting the team closely and wish them the best of luck as they look to build on the brilliant win at Lord’s and reclaim the Ashes."
"Despite conventional, conservative treatments to the tendon with trial periods of rest and rehabilitation, Kevin continued to be in significant discomfort and is currently unable to run or even walk comfortably," said England and Wales Cricket Board chief medical officer Nick Peirce.
"A number of short-term measures were considered but having been reviewed by the specialist, who flew into London from Sweden specifically, it was felt that anything else would put the tendon at risk and jeopardise his long-term recovery."