What is the ruling on one who is killed by sniping or by missiles and bombs, and is he considered a martyr?

One who is wrongfully killed is a martyr in the rulings of the afterlife; he receives the reward and recompense of martyrs. Ibn Abd al-Barr stated that the hadith (definition) indicates that one who is wrongfully killed is a martyr, whether in battle or otherwise, and whether in a land of war or elsewhere. Al-Manawi held that the sins of one who is wrongfully killed are expiated by his killing, due to the hadith: "Indeed, the sword is an obliterator of sins." The Hanbalis considered one who is wrongfully killed to be a martyr in the rulings of both this world and the afterlife, meaning he is not washed nor prayed over. Nevertheless, it was not the practice of the righteous predecessors to decisively declare a specific person a martyr, because the ruling on entering Paradise is knowledge known only to Allah.