The PM revealed the first 450 troops will be brought home this year.
But the move is bitterly opposed by military chiefs, who claim it risks throwing away the gains made by British forces.
Colonel Stuart Tootal, ex-commander of 3 Para, said: "We should only get out when the job is done properly.
"We are on the right track, but if we take our foot off the gas now, we risk all the success and investment we have achieved so far."
Mr Cameron's order fulfils a long-standing promise to President Barack Obama to bring the war to an end in step with the US. And the announcement comes just days before the President's visit to Britain next week.
Mr Cameron yesterday told MPs: "There will be around 400 troops, perhaps slightly more, coming out of Afghanistan in the coming year."
In a bid to soften the blow, he added: "Our enduring force level remains at 9,500. I'm sure the Americans understand that it's less than the reductions they are planning."
The MoD insisted that none of the troops coming home early will be infantry stationed in Helmand. Instead, most will come from the RAF Regiment defending Kandahar airfield and the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps at Nato's HQ in Kabul.
An MoD spokesman said: "These were time-limited, task-specific roles which have now come to an end."
Afghanistan will be top of the list of subjects at President Obama's talks with the PM. The President was also opposed by his generals when he vowed to start bringing home some of America's 90,000 troops from July.
Mission continues ... British troops in war-torn Helmand
PM: 450 troops to withdraw from Afghanistan | The Sun |News|Campaigns|Our Boys
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