Rome - Hit-men shot dead Sunday the uncle of a mafia turncoat at a recreational club near Naples, southern Italy, news reports said.

The 60-year-old man, Stanislao Cantelli, was playing cards with friends at the centre in Casal di Principe, when unidentified gunmen repeatedly shot him with 9mm calibre pistols, the ANSA news agency reported.

Cantelli's nephew, Luigi Diana, is a former member of the Camorra, the Neapolitan version of the mafia, who began collaborating with authorities.

The killing came a day after the Italian government began deploying some 500 troops to assist police in Camorra-infested areas around Naples, including Casal di Principe.

Last week police picked up scores of alleged members of the Casalesi mob-families who control Casal di Principe's criminal underworld.

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni has said Italy is in the midst of a "civil war" pitting the state against the Camorra.