The Afghan Qizilbash (Dari: قزلباش‌های افغان) are a Persian-speaking ethnic group in Afghanistan, mainly residing in Herat, Kabul and Kandahar.

The Qizilbash formed part of the bodyguard regiment ghulam khana, recruited to balance the power of Durrani and Ghilzai tribal leaders.

The Qizilbash have historically presented themselves as Sunni or Pashtun to avoid religious discrimination and participate fully in Afghan government and society.

Aziz al-Din Fofalzai notes that in 1740, Nader Shah left only one army unit in Kabul and one in Kandahar after withdrawing the majority of his forces to western Afghanistan.

He believes that in 1748 and 1755, Ahmad Shah imported large groups of "new and old Khorasanis" to Kabul and granted them property in the city's environs based on their tribal affiliations.

The two sides exchanged many terms, with Ahmad Shah granting the Qizilbash a share in loot gained from war, self-governance, and protection to practice their Shia faith.

[2] Ahmad Shah did this to keep the power of the Durrani and Ghilzai confederacy leaders in check, as they primarily constituted the core of his strength.

[10] The ghulam khana, made up primarily of Qizilbash but also included Tajiks, Hazaras, Firozkohis, Jamshidis, Taymanis, Kalmyks, and Habashis, was composed of cavalry and artillery.

The Indian historian Ganda Singh claimed that during Ahmad Shah's reign, one-third of the regiment was composed of Qizilbash.

The Scottish explorer and military officer Alexander Burnes observed that the Qizilbash were largely autonomous, only swearing directly allegiance to their individual leaders, who was subject to the Durrani king.

According to the Iranologist Christine Noelle, "This statement is borne out by the fact that the command of the entire bodyguard rested with the Qizilbash leader Mahmud Khan Bayat during Timur Shah's time.

However, Zaman Shah also gave non-Qizilbash figures like his Pashtun father-in-law Nur Muhammad Babar Amin al-Mulk and the treasurer Iltifat Khan command of several ghulam khana contingents.

Possibly in response to an attempt by the Durrani rulers to challenge the independent structure of the Qizilbash cavalry, Ja'far Khan sent a petition to Zaman Shah just before the latters coronation, insisting on the need to preserve tribal distinctions within the army.

If a person from the Qizilbash refused to convert, they had to pay a poll tax or wear a black turban with red marks on them.

Blame for the start of the Hazara rebellion fell on the clerics in the Iranian city of Mashhad and Qizilbash, who were accused of telling Shia Muslims to disregard the authority of Sunni rulers.