LONDON (Reuters) - Commenting on the situation in the border regions of Pakistan, Britains foreign secretary David Miliband said on Thursday the US policy of using Predator drones to target Al-Qaeda leaders and the Taliban hiding out in the tribal areas was something the US and Pakistan needed to discuss. UK quietly opposes the policy, believing that it does not give sufficient recognition to Pakistans sovereignty, David Miliband told BBC radio before flying to a G8 foreign ministers meeting in Italy for talks on Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East. The relationship between the Pakistani military and the American military is a different set of issues, he said. There is an issue for the Americans to sort out with the Pakistanis about drone attacks on Al-Qaeda high-level targets on the Pakistan side of the border. While defending Britains role, Miliband admitted airstrikes in which many Afghan civilians had been killed were damaging the ability to win over a frustrated local population. It is a large problem, he said. Theres no denying not just the human cost but also the reputational cost. Were there to protect Afghans, not to see them die in civilian incidents. He said he welcomed new guidelines for troops laid out by the new US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, which are designed to reduce civilian casualties. Miliband also defended the capability of British troops in Afghanistan, saying the fact they were being reinforced by 10,000 US Marines did not mean they had failed. I think its quite the opposite, David Miliband told BBC radio before flying to a G8 foreign ministers meeting in Italy for talks on Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East. Its a recognition of the changing nature of the insurgency and the focus the insurgency is bringing to attacks on Afghans and Britons in Helmand, he said, referring to the province in southern Afghanistan where 8,000 British troops are deployed.