PARIS, May 13 (Reuters) - The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers on Thursday (May 12) said the increasing restrictions imposed by the Taliban on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan were isolating the country.

"With these measures, the Taliban are further isolating themselves from the international community," the G7 foreign ministers and European Union foreign policy chief said.

In a joint statement published by France, they called on the Taliban to take urgent action to lift restrictions on women and girls and respect their human rights.

The Taliban, who swept back to power as the Afghan government collapsed last year, on Saturday ordered women to cover their faces in public, in another step towards their past hardline rule.